A/N: Greetings beautiful people! This is my first time writing anything seasonal, so this is pretty much all an experiment of sorts. I also must add that this is dedicated to the lovely ShinyShiny9, an amazing author, great friend, and a kind-hearted individual. Do check out her content when you get the chance, she really deserves the attention and love. So, I hope you enjoy, and I wish everyone the best for Christmas and New Year.
With a toolkit in hand, Eggman trudged through the thick snow of Diamond Dust Zone.
Just ahead in the winter mist, a small blue robot marched on, treading deep footprints in to the snowdrifts. Silver and white ice crystals swirled against the bright glare of the low, morning sun, bringing the distinct seasonal freshness to the air that only winter could give.
He desperately longed for the crackle and pop of the warm, experimental fusion-powered fireplace back at the base, and a mug of caramel hot chocolate, but he had tests to do. So, instead, he shoved one hand in to a pocket in his red coat and kept a watchful eye on the machine ahead.
With nobody to celebrate Christmas with other than his robots, the man admittedly felt a smidge of loneliness deep down. Orbot and Cubot were not the most helpful lair decorators out there either – the Christmas tree they had put up had burnt down from the cheap 10 ring lights they had used. In short, his home was a mess, with no gifts or friends to celebrate with.
Putting his longing aside, Eggman brought his attention to his robot and adjusted the metal box in his hand to keep the circulation going beneath his yellow glove. The snow became thicker and deeper the further they crossed the open, frozen field, with the whistling wind continuing to rest more of the gentle flakes down on to the crunchy surface. Metal kept a steady pace, keeping his watchful gaze aimed straight ahead. He knew nothing of his creator's wistful pining.
One red foot made contact with something strange under the snow – something more delicate and smooth, and it made a distinctive crackling sound. Concerned, Metal balanced his weight evenly and continued on, optics focused on the ground below.
Eggman noticed this and took a couple of larger strides to catch up with the robot. "What's wrong? Find something?" He asked, wiping one gloved hand under his reddened nose with a sniff, before poking his misted, blue-tinted glasses further back to his face.
Receiving no answer from the apparently mute robot, Eggman sighed and spoke again. "Anyway, Metal Sonic…Today, I'm testing your updated systems."
Metal simply gave a nod and continued on his way, unaware of the danger approaching. His heavy feet continued to bring about a crunching sound from below, growing louder and louder, until suddenly, the 'bot crashed through the thinning sheet of ice and plunged in to the freezing water.
In an instant, reflexive response, Metal charged up his black shield as if being attacked – but the only enemy was the heavy body of water engulfing him. The last thing he remembered was a resounding, echoing 'no' from above the water, the winter daggers of fragmented ice slowly descending with him, and the shafts of light streaking through the cracks above.
On the surface, Eggman stood in shock, breath steaming up his glasses. The robot's engine couldn't function correctly underwater.
But did it really matter?
He had built many robots in his time, and could simply build another. The blueprints were all still in the office, and the enhanced materials could just be replicated. No big deal, right?
So, the doctor turned with a growl and began to trek back through the trail he and the robot had created, irritably grumbling as he went.
"I knew this was a stupid idea."
His grip on the toolbox loosened as the minutes passed by, the cold stinging his fingertips and pressing on his toes.
"Stupid robot…" He huffed, glancing back over his shoulder for a moment.
Wait.
He paused, new thoughts running through his head as he looked to the misty path before him.
Nobody was back home waiting for him. Nobody would greet him with the same love and joy that Sonic would receive on this day.
Normally, this would not matter. He had been living with nobody else but his machines for as long as he could remember.
But, he was human. Humans need to feel needed sometimes.
All he had was his robots, because they were his family.
Robots were the ones he would turn to for help, the ones he would program to think and feel like people, and the very beings he relied on.
If he turned his back on his own sentient creations so much, they would never truly appreciate him. They would never treat him as a person.
With the whistling wind at his back, Eggman suddenly turned and broke in to a run, back toward the frosted lake. He immediately regretted leaving in the first place – running was not his forte. Not at all. Brought back memories of running from Sonic with fire licking his boots, and the time when he trapped Sonic to turn him in to a werehog.
The snow was becoming heavier, less forgiving. Instead of gentle swirling and silver spillikins, the clouds above were drawing closer and becoming ponderous. Laces of dark grey splintered through the blue drape of the sky, marking the march of a storm.
Unfortunately for Eggman, swimming was also not his forte. He had other ways of watching his shape back home - the occasional star jump or five-second-sprint on the spot were the usual. But then it would be back to blueprints and repairs.
So, when he finally found himself stood by the crack in the ice, he was left deeply discomposed.
With a sniff and a gruff sigh, he peered over the edge.
The stranded robot was almost undefined against the blue-grey mass surrounding him, but he was definitely there - the yellow markings gave him away.
"I can't believe I'm actually doing this…"
He couldn't. Normally he would run. Forget. Just build some more robots.
But that strange human instinct for company took hold. He needed to feel needed, despite his independent semblance that he put on for show.
For a moment, he glanced around, watching for any sign of those blasted furry cretins – but they were nowhere to be seen. Good. Nobody had to see this.
His heavy, red coat hit the snow with a crunch, and his little silver box of tools followed.
The doctor inhaled, fighting the urge to choke against the bitter cold that had entered his lungs, and jumped.
Instantly, his breath was snatched by the chill of the iced lake, and he hissed with the immediate pain.
He almost considered climbing back up on to the snow-plastered dirt.
Human nature may dictate a desire for company of others, but it also controls that instinctive self-preservation basis.
Several moments passed, and finally he acclimatised to the cool water. Another deep breath, and he ducked under the surface to swim.
The water grumbled with a deep bubbling sound as he descended in to the profundity, deafening Eggman to any other noise that could have been present.
Blindly paddling, he reached out below, hoping to make contact with his unfortunate creation. Just his luck – his fingers grazed the tips of the robot's fingers. He didn't leave one second to waste.
With urgent quickness, he closed his hand around Metal's and paddled with all his might to reach the light of the surface.
And he had never been so elated to see the glint of that pearlescent snow.
The moment he broke the still, liquid veneer, he gasped and flailed for the bank. He had been frozen before, but now, he felt as though he had just been refrigerated for a month, and then blasted with air conditioning for an hour.
Remaining unforgiving, the snow stung his face as he clambered up on to the earth, dragging the off lined robot behind him, creating a slushy trench along the way.
He gritted his teeth and reached down for his coat, before throwing it around his shoulders and fumbling to do up the circular, yellow buttons. "I hope you're happy, you useless bucket of bolts." He huffed, turning slightly to glare down at the robot.
Metal was functioning and well – just in stasis due to his own self-preservation protocols.
"You're lucky I brought this." Eggman snapped, bending over to pick up the toolkit. It would be impossible to open without heat now, after being buried in the snowdrift.
Garnering no response to his words, Eggman continued to glare, but gradually, his stature softened.
What mattered now was that he was freezing to death, and his robot was useless to him without being warmed up.
In the distance and clouded by the cool moisture in the air, a lone cottage resided. Abandoned and left to the ages, sections of the dwelling were visibly missing even from this distance and with the cloak of the winter mist hiding it.
It was closer than the base. It would do.
But it did mean a trip around the outside of a dangerously deep and frozen lake.
The storm drew in, hurling its winter shrapnel at the man as he began to traipse his way to the little building.
Finally, after what felt like a ache-worthy hike up Blizzard Peaks, he reached the door and staggered, lurching in to it with his shoulder. It swung open immediately with the wind's force, and Eggman quickly dropped his cargo on the floor inside before pressing his back to the door and pushing it shut.
Seconds later, a certain robot stirred. One optic flickered to life, a deep amber at first, before strengthening to its usual crimson.
"So now you decide to wake up?"
The robot gave a series of beeping sounds in one of his reticent responses.
"I just had to drag your useless metal backside around the outside of a frozen lake, you, you…" His diatribe faltered, as he was finding no ill words to spit at the now conscious machine. Instead, he huffed and stumbled in to the cottage, looking around for anything that could be of use.
Metal slowly sat up, joints leaking audibly and yellow ears draining water with the movement.
He looked up at his creator in disbelief and questioning. Why had his master risked his own life for a machine? It was not a logical action in a robot's book. But then again, robots were not normally programmed with morals. It was not something he could immediately comprehend.
"Just make yourself useful or something. And remind me to never do that again!" Eggman barked, shakily brushing snow from his clothing.
In response to his master's words, Metal rose to his feet, fusion engine whirring as it forced the movements. He may not have understood the rationale behind saving a robot's 'life' by risking that of a human's, but he was….grateful. A self-aware robot with a strong sense of independence he may have been, but he almost admired the sentiment.
Eggman did not hesitate to collapse on to the nearest sofa with a purposely audible groan of discontentment. The material gave a heavy 'poof' at the heavy contact and creaked in protest, but did its job, at least. Shivering in a lost, grumpy silence, he wrung the water out of his precious moustache. An evil genius should always maintain his moustache.
Metal watched, head tilted to one side. His irises were both powered and red, now that his systems were recovering from the sudden stress of the cold. His programmed obedience, coupled with a fascination and gratefulness for his master's actions, led him to act. If anything, preserving his master's life would help him to preserve his own – he knew that, and the thought was partially what fuelled this response.
Now deciding to speak instead of hiding behind those rather taciturn robotic beeps, he walked across to the bathroom area and grabbed a towel off of the rack in there. "Yes, doctor."
The sensors in his palms detected the tiny amount of heat retained inside the material and decided that it would suffice.
He walked back in to the main room and over to Eggman, footsteps heavy and clunking against the wooden floor as he moved.
It did not take him long to figure out how to implement the fabric – he had been programmed with fantastic artificial intelligence after all.
He dropped it on the doctor's face, before stepping back and looking rather proud of himself. He stood with his hands on his hips, much like Sonic.
A noisy exhale could be heard from beneath the towel, but Eggman refuse to move. "Hrmph! Meeeetal!"
Realising his mistake, Metal quickly picked the large cloth back up again and carefully placed it over the doctor.
"Better."
Berry red optics watched for any sign of movement, but Eggman clearly had made himself at home on this furniture.
A heavy silence took the creaking cottage, the wind battering the doors and whistling through gaps in the woodwork. Human and robot knew the only option was to take refuge in this shelter until the storm blew over.
This was not how Eggman had pictured spending his Christmas time – forced in to submission by the cold temperatures, stuck with a killer robot who had been known to rebel and become bloodthirsty out of seemingly nowhere.
Despite his subconscious concerns, Eggman finally asked something.
"Say, Metal….Ever heard of Christmas?"
Slightly startled at the strange question, the robot slowly nodded before replying. "Humans on Earth celebrate the occasion."
Eggman sat up and rubbed the towel up and down his face, knocking his tinted glasses on to the floor with the motion.
"That's right. And I'm spending that occasion stuck here. No gifts, no nothing…just a stupid robot and hypothermia!"
"This is Mobius, doctor. Mobians do not celebrate Christmas."
"I've been a good boy this year, too! I only tried to kill Sonic, what? Thirty times?"
Metal looked over to him accusingly.
Eggman folded his arms with a sharp growl.
"Okay, okay, fine. Ninety times."
Shaking his head, Metal looked away to the snowy scene outside.
"Doctor, we do not celebrate Christmas because we do not practice that Earth religion."
"Some Mobians still give gifts and celebrate, you bumbling 'bot. Why do you think Sonic and his pathetic friends exchange presents?"
That sudden bout of bitterness brought a new realisation to the robot, who glanced back to Eggman to speak.
"... You wish to participate in this tradition?"
Eggman did not respond, but Metal could see that his suspicion was correct from the doctor's faltering guise.
"I do not see why, doctor. It does not bring any benefit, only economic expense to the Eggman Empire when 'gifts' are purchased."
Metal approached a window and scraped the frost from its dulled surface to watch the snow outside.
"You wouldn't understand, Metal. It's a thing for the living."
"Such practices do not extend lifespan, increase efficiency, or create repairs to damages." Metal responded, facing the window at first, but then turning his head to look over his shoulder. "They...evoke positive emotion. Satisfy organic instinct..."
He stopped, processing this.
"Just this once."
One arm liquified in to a shining quicksilver at the robot's will, dripping to the floor. As the gloop hit the surface, it solidified as a green mass, projecting upward.
"According to Earth tradition, evergreen trees symbolise eternal life."
It had been a long time since he had last used his liquid form, as it brought back memories of his untimely defeat as Metal Overlord.
But a robot cannot die. The eternal life symbolism was meaningful in that respect.
Eggman watched, rather stunned. He picked up his glasses and poked them back on to his face, observing as his robot continued.
Opening the toolbox, Metal rummaged through the silver items, picking out the shiniest ones of them all.
He hung the various wrenches and spanners from the branches to reflect the light of the environment outside.
"Lights on a tree symbolise the light of the world."
Pausing, Metal looked around, analysing the interior of the cottage. There was something missing.
"More decorations are necessary to complete this mission." He announced, and for a moment, Eggman swore he saw the machine's eyes brighten several watts.
Surprisingly, Metal found himself quite delighted already. He could relate to the tradition of an organic. He had always wanted to feel more alive.
The two began their quest for decorations - with Eggman warmed up and finding himself more content, he was able to hunt around the building for ornaments, or things that could be turned in to ornaments. They discovered crates in the store room, filled with candles and light bulbs.
One by one, the candles were set on the windowsills and the shelves, and soon glowed with a heartfelt warmth of gentle flames.
Moth balls were coated in the silver of melted metal tools, creating shining, metallic baubles.
Metal sat in the corner tracing one sharp finger through the metal as it set, leaving little indentations. These ranged from illustrations of the Eggman Empire, himself, and Sonic with various different weapons and traps set upon him. It sent a little spark of glee through the robot to implement one of his few developed talents.
Eggman hung beads and ornaments around the perimiter, casting a glistening glow across the wooden floor and up the walls.
A certain mechanical hedgehog was fascinated by the effects of the lighting, and he watched, looking dazzled, as the radiance sent a warm glow over his armour and Eggman.
By midday, they had collected trinkets from opposite ends of the small house, and were exchanging them on the sofa. Metal questioned the necessity of this part in regard to economics, but otherwise enjoyed receiving items that he could use to melt down in to scrap.
A couple of hours later, Eggman realised that the presents should have been wrapped, and gave Metal the job of wrapping some more gifts.
With nothing more than tin foil and cellotape, he got to work, but soon ended up with tape stuck to his silver fingers and nose.
Eggman thought it would be hilarious to slap a red bow on the poor 'bot's head, but soon took it back when the robot made a strange hissing sound at him.
The little abandoned cottage was aglow with life and joy that night.
And the Mobians within?
Content.
Content with each other, and the outcome of what first seemed to be a disastrous day.
Tomorrow would be back to normal - back to the scheming and plotting, the destruction of more robots and more conflict.
But today, the spirit of the season had brought the two together, both robot and human celebrating their sub rosa Christmas.
Sunset drew in, and the snow calmed. Eggman sat on the sofa smiling to himself, watching his handiwork shimmer and shine as the Sun descended.
He looked to the robot curled up under the towel and lifted a corner of the material, grinning at the being beneath.
"We did good today, you know."
"Indeed, doctor. It was good to create something with limited supplies."
"Will we do this again next year?"
Metal poked his head out from under the towel and looked up at Eggman.
"Affirmative."
He poked a fairy light that rested on the arm of the sofa before giving a soft, hedgehog-like purr.
"Secret Christmas Day must happen again."
A/N: You made it to the end. Congratulations, you have all of my love. Thank you so much for taking the time to read this and I hope you enjoyed. I wish you all the best for Christmas this year and the year to come.
12/05/15 - Made some very overdue edits which were suggested by Lord Kelvin.