Santa Silver Returns!

by Jun Yabriel

Silver was a lonely soul before donning the famous red, green, and gold. And now, he's off to spread Christmas cheer throughout Soleanna, despite the loneliness deep down in his heart. :Oneshot: Tada! Merry Christmas, everybody!

Santa Silver Returns!

It was yet another Christmas Eve when the inkling of an infamous fable rolled around the City of Water, Soleanna. Rumor has it that, for the past few Christmas Eves, a special individual has been delivering presents to all the blessed families on that one sanctified night. Their identity was unknown, even then, so everyone thought it to be one of the best-kept secrets of all time. Especially if it led everyone to think of the most least-likely people.

Silver the Hedgehog cruised through the nighttime boulevards, watching people scurry by as they hurried to buy last-minute Christmas presents for their loved ones. Silver sighed, clasping his tattered scarlet cardigan closer together by the tarnished accents. His unique head quills billowed in the soft light snowy breeze. As he passed by the elegant water fountain, he saw a school of human children sitting in front of it, their headmistress having instructed them to do so. There was no water in it, for it would have only frozen over and potentially destroyed the old-looking fountain.

"A Yuletide field trip, I suppose…" Silver blinked, overhearing the headmistress's lesson on the Christmas-themed back-story. He leered his sights away sadly, though, and continued on. "I hope everyone else's Christmas is going better than mine," Silver thought aloud.

.o.~.O.~.o.

Sonic the Hedgehog sped through the snow-laden forests of Kingdom Valley, not the least bit cold. The trees tried to drop snow bundles as he sped by, but missed; he didn't worry about the frozen lakes and waterfalls either, for he skated across them with ease. Back on firm land, his signature smirk appeared on his face after skidding to a stop. He marveled Soleanna in the distance.

"Okay, now that that's out of the way…! Better hurry back or I'll be late for the celebration!" he said happily. And away again he sped.

.o.~.O.~.o.

In her dressing quarters, Princess Elise was readying herself to announce her blessings upon her citizens. The grandfather clock behind her was ready to strike midnight, which would cue the clock tower bells to do the same. She glanced over at her handmaidens, who were waiting with an opulent winter cloak with smiling faces.

"Are you ready, My Lady?" one of them asked her, both holding up the cloak.

Elise smiled back at her and made her way over. She merrily pirouetted into the heavy, fleecy sleeves and giggled. She replied, "Yes, I believe I am," with a cute wink.

.o.~.O.~.o.

There was a homeless shelter on the other side of the city, where the Chaotix Detectives were helping out with serving the families there. The misfit trio found themselves doing odd jobs for the folks there, like handing out blankets, fixing appliances, and delivering meals to in-house, as well as downtown-area, dwellers.

Espio the Chameleon and Charmy the Bee were toting food deliveries throughout downtown Soleanna and handing them out to the weary and anonymous homeless. Charmy had devised a "Plan of Congrats" for their mission, with Espio complying out of the, somewhat restricted, goodness of his heart. After hearing this "Plan," Espio surmised that as long as Charmy didn't have to pull the rickshaw, Espio wouldn't have to endure the bee child's horrible caroling voice.

Which turned out to be a lose-lose situation for him, because he had to endure it anyway.

So after many terribly executed hymns, Espio and Charmy were on their way back to the shelter. But something caught their attention.

In the middle of a smaller town square, a children's choir was singing Christmas carols as well. The well-ranged choir sounded beautiful, with perfectly pitched sopranos and reliable harmonies to support them in their accuracy.

A crowd of spectators basked in their song, some singing along too. Even Amy, Cream and Cheese, and Cream's mother had stopped to listen. The girls and Cheese all clapped happily when the carolers signaled the song's end with an elegant arpeggio.

"You see? That's what a true carol should sound like…" Espio addressed to Charmy, somewhat irked.

Charmy's nostrils puffed with steam. "Well, it's hard to sound awesome when you're singing by yourself! You try it and see what's happens, why don'tcha?" he huffed, his arms in a taut cross.

Espio only sighed to himself, and was ready to tow the rickshaw, when he spotted two figures in the distance out the corner of his eye. But they had both moved out of his frame of sight. Espio blinked, but an anger vein reappeared at his temple at the sound of Charmy's whiny call. He and his annoying junior trekked back to the shelter.

With those distinct silhouettes still on Espio's mind.

.o.~.O.~.o.

"Ho ho ho! Merry Christmas, little tikes!" Vector greeted, swinging a couple of burlap sacks down from his shoulder.

Hordes of little ones hurried over to the big-looking bags, cheering and laughing. Their parents marveled and were crying quietly as their hearts melted at the sight of their children playing and showing them what they'd received. Praises like "Thank goodness" and "Blessed be…" were uttered from a lot of their mothers. The fathers that could be there were compelled to hold them and the children close.

"Ah! It does my heart good to see these families happy!" Vector guffawed proudly.

"This isn't a competition, you know."

Vector flinched at the sight of his comrades, Espio and Charmy. "Gah-wha…?" Vector's eyebrow was twitching.

As was Espio's. "You're not doing this to show off, are you?"

"Bad move, Mr. Boss Man!" Charmy tugged down his eyelid, sticking out his tongue. "Nyehh!"

"What?" Vector flinched again. He instinctively bulldozed both the chameleon and the bee through the shelter doors. The families inside blinking a little. "What the—? What the heck made you think of such a preposterous reason like that?" Vector raved, throwing his fists about.

"Because it truly sounds like something you'd do," Espio remarked with a blank face. His remark was as automatic and blunt as taking an aluminum bat to Vector's ego.

Vector could even feel the homerun swing.

"And besides, even if this was a competition…!"

The Chaotix swapped their sights behind them to see Team Sonic, with a whimsical "sleigh" full of toy boxes and bags. Every single item was brand-new, and so was the "sleigh" it came in: Sonic's car was decked in a revolutionary hunter-green with streaks of gold and white curving all over it. Christmas ornaments had been painted on by impressively steady-handed kids from all around the city, including Tails', Amy's, and Cream's, who painted one for Cheese too. The sharp convertible speedster was supposed to emulate a Christmas conifer, down to the North Star topper as the car's hood ornament.

Sonic was leaning coolly against the car door, with Knuckles and Tails toting a few more bags alongside them. Sonic flicked his eyebrow. "We would've won, hands down! So I hope you really were doing this to be nice, Vector…for your ego's sake!" Sonic winked, snickered impishly.

"What! Aw, now you've done it, ya showoff!" Vector exclaimed, grinding his fists. "Come over here and I'll show ya how nice I can be!"

"Oh, please."

Another voice appeared from up the street, with an air of nonchalance. Most notable for the black hedgehog that appeared in a black gabardine trench coat. His hands were pocketed, and the chest was half-open with a white scarf stuffed into it, to bolster his natural white chest ruff. A bitter breeze nipped at his ears and head quills, but he glared pitifully at both parties of acquaintances.

"Well well!" Sonic had a envious look on his face. "Look at what the cat dragged in…!"

"More like 'Bat,' actually…!" Shadow whipped out a wireless handheld device out of one of the pockets and brought it up to his mouth. "Status report, Rouge the Bat, do you copy?"

Everyone gawked at the black hedgehog, wondering what he was up to.

Shadow held the sleek Smartphone out to the other six comrades. A photo of Rouge appeared on the touch screen, of her flaunting a mysterious and seductive wink.

"Everything's in position and ready to deploy, Shadow," they could all hear her report confidently. "And too bad, loser-babies!" she was able to address the six other boys over the speakerphone. "If this was a serious competition, we would've blown you all out of the water!"

"What—what—wha?" Vector exclaimed, highly confused.

Shadow brought the phone back to his mouth. "Good. Then deploy, in T-minus thirty seconds…!"

"Roger!" came Rouge's peppy reply.

Somehow, that command signaled a drove of military vehicles to steer into the same street Shadow and the others were in. Two jeeps were able to pull up directly behind him and park there. Shadow pocketed the phone and waited.

Sonic stifled a laugh. "So what? Apparently, you only brought two military truckloads! That's not much more than what I brought!"

Shadow narrowed his eyes at his blue rival. "Well, apparently, you can't count."

It was indeed a drove: the vehicles Sonic didn't see had lined up in dual platoons, with eight more at the rear alone. Another rumble could be heard coming from the other end of the street as well. Sonic, Knuckles, and Tails watched another line of trucks go past, counting six in all. Vector's eyes were bulging out of their sockets, while Espio and Charmy gawked at the vehicles plow by.

Shadow deepened his competitive scowl. "And, apparently, you're also blind. As a bat."

The headlights of the army trucks blinked twice.

And another signal was acknowledged, as seen by the flock of military helicopters that hovered over to the rooftops. They beamed their headlights on Shadow and the homeless shelter next to them, with Teams Sonic and Chaotix caught within the bright circles. The owners of the shelter raced outside and beamed excitedly; the female owner cheered, jumping up and down.

"Provisions delivered," Rouge reported into her own Smartphone. She tucked the phone closer to her, into her plush magenta scarf and her well-cushioned chest. The tails of her white trench coat flapped in the swirling air from the copters. She smirked slyly. "Just as 'ordered.'" She giggled.

Both Teams gawked at the setup. But a startling "gangway" honk beckoned the six boys' attention, and one side of the platoon drove off. The ones left unleashed military footmen, who filed into the building, bundled in winter wear, with treasure troves' worth of food, clothes, blankets, and even toys. And then, back to Shadow, who seemed to be supervising everything.

Sonic threw his fists against his hips. "Really?" he drawled, a bit staggered by the intricacy and sheer bulk of the setup.

Shadow cast a blank glare back at him. "It wasn't my idea, trust me."

"Yoo-hoo!"

Shadow threw his eyes up over his head and caught sight—and the weight—of a cardboard box falling into his arms. He blinked down at it before finding Rouge waving at him from high above in one of the military helicopters. She winked playfully; Shadow sighed.

"Man, talk about overkill," Knuckles commented, looking back down the street. He spotted more troupes of uniformed soldiers heading around to different locations.

"And don't look now, but it looks like the Chaotix have already conceded defeat," Tails said, pointing at the trio crouched down into a despondent huddle. A sweat drop fell from his temple.

Sonic and Knuckles saw the spectacle, and sweat drops fell from their temples as well.

"Heads up again!"

Shadow had set down the cardboard box Rouge had tossed down, only to reflexively move back to his feet and catch her, too.

Rouge landed safely in Shadow's arms, familiarly, and giggled. "Nice catch, Mr. Boss Man…!" she lilted seductively. She pecked a kiss on his cheek and nuzzled it.

Shadow growled under his breath.

Tails blinked a little, highly curious. He tilted his head to one side. 'Why go to such lengths, even if it's not a competition…?' He checked his watch and padded back into the middle of the street. "Hey! The Princess should be making her holiday announcement soon, you guys," Tails announced. He waved to get everyone's attention.

The shelter owners poked their heads back out and nodded in acknowledgement. The Chaotix had stopped their defeated groveling and turned their sights back at Tails, handkerchiefs at their teary eyes. Sonic and Knuckles instantly remembered and nodded to each other.

"Oh yeah! Hey, c'mon! Let's go!" Sonic waved Tails over to his car.

The fox boy turned to see him and Knuckles getting in and nodded. As he was about to run over, something stopped him. He glanced back at Shadow and Rouge rounding up their infantrymen.

"Hey, are you guys going too?" the little one asked.

Rouge caught sight of the fox boy and smirked. "Yeah, we are." She lovingly snatched up Shadow's arm. "No worries, kid." She winked at the fox boy.

Tails blinked, then nodded "okay" before hopping into the passenger's side, onto Knuckles' lap. They all buckled up and drove off, leaving the Chaotix and Shadow and Rouge to finish up their tasks.

.o.~.O.~.o.

Everyone in the City of Water seemed to be there: Amy Rose and Cream the Rabbit were awaiting the appearance of Princess Elise. They cheered and giggled, eager and giddy. Cheese, Cream's Chao, also cooed excitedly. Cream's mother, Vanilla, hushed the girls sweetly as the numbers of people broadened.

Sonic, Tails, and Knuckles made it onto the scene as well, with Tails on Sonic's shoulders, as they also watched the Princess's grand entrance. Sonic grinned, with Tails pointing up at the high balcony on the Palace.

Princess Elise III waltzed beautifully onto the Palace's veranda as the surrounding population cheered for her gorgeous appearance. Her cloak was a whimsical white, with gossamer snowflakes and golden glitters in the downy hems. Her gown was long and regal, for that specific season, and the handmaidens lowered the training hems they were carrying and let them pool after her stance. Her feather laurels were sprinkled with gold dust, in stark contrast to her gingery hair and pale blue eyes. In her hands was a gold staff, adorned with a large sapphire orb.

"My dear citizens of Soleanna," Elise began to address her audience, "I give all of you my blessings as we arrive upon another Christmas Eve!"

The Chaotix had made it to the announcement as well, sticking to the back of the crowd. Charmy marveled the Princess's beauty more than her words, but Espio and Vector quickly caught sight of this and hid him out of sight.

"Presents shall be passed down to those who have been blessed so far, and blessed be to those who've wished it! Our winding waterways may be frozen, but let us not allow them to freeze our goodwill, the spirit, of this hallowed holiday!"

Shadow and Rouge were perched on a rooftop, far away enough from the Palace for no one to see nor bother them. Rouge snuggled up against Shadow, nestling her face against the fluffiness of his scarf, closer to his neck. Her leg dangled over the roof's ledge, but she felt completely safe there in Shadow's lap. They both looked on at the ceremony, with similar looks on their faces.

"For, everyone, the fabled 'Saint Nicolas' now has a chance to pass over Soleanna and bestow bountiful gifts upon our families and friends. Let us happily welcome him into our homes and into our hearts! Blessed be the Saint of Yuletide Peace, and may we bask under the greatness of more Peace, all year round!"

Silver took in the applause of the citizens below. He was much farther away, but close enough to hear the people cheering. He got up from his spot on a rooftop and sighed despondently, shuffling his feet along the ground.

.o.~.O.~.o.

Princess Elise's announcement had concluded with the bells ringing from the Palace's belfry, and everyone was heading out of the cold. Silver had made it back home, after reentering from the rooftop access. He lived in an apartment complex on the industrial side of Soleanna. It was quite a trip to downtown, but the celebration was so vivid with happy tweets and whistles that residents there could hear them. Most were there themselves; a few had stayed behind to enjoy the warmth.

Although Silver couldn't really enjoy it himself.

Silver shyly greeted the newly arriving upper-floor tenants. Since Silver had lost his keys and couldn't afford a replacement, he had to pick the lock of his door to get inside. His room was along the outside wall of the complex; 24-B, the sign read.

Once inside, Silver found that there was nothing under his small decorative wreath, since his landlady couldn't afford presents—once again this year. He sighed woefully as he rested his cardigan on the coat hanger.

He slumped onto his worn sofa before the space heater. His thoughts became bogged with bittersweet envy: Other people were able to exchange presents with their loved ones. Now, Silver only wished he had ones to love.

There was a knock at his door. He bolted up and left his couch to answer it.

And found his landlady standing there. She was a lavender feline with eyes not quite bright a yellow as his own, and she seemed to have a subdued pleasantness in her face.

"Silver? Your rent was due a little over a week ago, but since it's Christmas Eve, I won't bug you too much about it."

"Oh, thank you, Miss Blaze. I'm so sorry…! I'll have it by this month's end, I promise," Silver promised, shyly fidgeting.

"Why don't you get yourself back together until then, huh? Feel free to come down to my office for some cocoa, okay?" She smiled with doleful sincerity.

"Yes, ma'am, thank you."

The conversation ended with a quiet "Merry Christmas" exchange, and Miss Blaze strolling down the hall and Silver shutting his door.

He huffed a tiny sigh, but it was filled with confidence. He had a hopeful look on his face, and made a beeline for the small closet in the corner.

.o.~.O.~.o.

Being the skillful psychokinetic hedgehog that he was, Silver soared over Soleanna. He checked his gold pocket watch: 12:11 P.M. He spiraled as he flew, with a pair of nacreous clouds tailing him. He smirked.

He had changed into something more cheerfully Christmas-themed: A scarlet jacket with bright gold rectangular brads, white downy hems along the V-neck collar to emphasize his own furry mantle, and some coordinating, red-and-green boots and gloves of the same white down. Jingle bells accented the boots, and holly berries were placed on the top of each gloved hand. The gloves' undersides glowed bright white due to his psychokinetic control over his flight speed.

"I think I'll actually be able to do this this year," Silver remarked to himself, a bit excited.

The clouds accompanying him were wisping happily alongside each other, each hauling a sack tied with special turquoise twine. Their contents were a mystery, but they weren't all too mysterious to Silver.

"This whole city, the schools, the shelters, the orphanage where I grew up…and even the Princess deserve presents too…!" Silver stopped, perching on top of the Palace belfry, and clung to its decorative pinnacle. "But what about me? Don't I get any presents this year?" He looked up to the star-shaped topper and wondered.

The two clouds swooped around in the air, awaiting for any commands Silver may have had. They looked nervous, flittering around—like they had minds of their own, somewhat "looking" at each other.

"If there really are such things as granted wishes, I hope mine come true this year…!"

A new confidence dazzled his smirk this time around. "Well, no more time for moping! I've got smiles to spread! Let's go, you two—Hope, Glory!"

The two sparkling gold and silver clouds "nodded" happily. They readied themselves as Silver began to levitate back into the air. They all spiraled down around the clock tower and zoomed through the avenue, where citizens were awed by his aerial acrobatics. A sparkling dust was left in their wake and the people applauded them. Spewing from the bags were tiny colorful paper crafts. The people below caught some—like the paper airplanes, pinwheels, cranes, and snowflakes—and kept them for themselves. They cheered and waved Silver and his companions off. They flew back towards the Palace.

Princess Elise had retreated to her bed quarters, preparing to retire for the night. Her Christmas gown had been disrobed and cleaned, so she could sleep easy that night. Now in a warm cream-colored teddy, Elise took up her bed sheets.

But a comical knock came to her veranda doors.

Elise stopped herself to ask, "Oh my, who could that be?"

Upon opening the doors, Silver appeared in all his red, green, and gold glory. Gold Hope and silver Glory hovered beside him and "curtsied" to the Princess.

She gasped sweetly. "Why, it's you…!" She curtsied in response to the clouds' and the white hedgehog's bow.

"Merry Christmas, Princess," Silver kindly greeted her, reaching into one of his gift bags using his telekinesis. He took out a smooth cream-wrapped gift tied with glittering gold ribbon and glided it to her.

She took it into both hands and smiled. She knelt down before him and planted a lovely kiss on his cheek. "Thank you, little one, and may your wishes, too, come true this Christmas."

She stood and waved goodbye as he and his cloud companions winded around the clock tower before taking back to the sky.

.o.~.O.~.o.

"Christmas cheers!" A half dozen glasses of sparkling juice were being toasted for the wonderful winter feast.

Team Sonic were holding a marvelous post-midnight Eve celebration, courtesy of Shadow and Rouge. The government agents had requested a recess from working a week in advance to the holidays rearing. Rouge figured their private winter estate would best suit the festivities, seeing that Amy, Cream and Cheese, and Cream's mother made a creativity blitz out of the place. The dining hall, where the dinner itself was, was decked out with red streamers, golden ornaments, and dazzling crystal tableware. The plates, silverware, and glasses were of cleanest beauty, much like Rouge intended. The placeholders on the stemware were gold bracelets engraved with the names of each attendant; they also doubled as bonus gifts for everyone.

Everything buzzed within that room. Teams Sonic and Chaotix were making good conversation, and were trying their best to include everyone else. Hints and references were dropped and managed to draw in side-talk and ignite new conversations. Rouge adored how cohesive the décor was, and thanked Cream's mother, Vanilla, for plotting the whole thing out. Vanilla was much obliged, smiling cutely, much like her daughter.

After the late-night dinner, gift exchanges were in order. Charmy was the first one to make his way into the parlor. Beyond the double doors was a gorgeous Christmas tree, very tall and very ornate. Dainty snowflakes and more colorful streamers encased the tree. The triple-gilded North Star peered down at everyone in white, yellow, and rose brilliance. Presents pooled around the base in various colors, sizes, and shapes. The parlor furniture was set around the forward face of the tree, so everyone had a spot to choose from. The fire hearth was burning off to the side of the grand setup.

With everything meant to be as authentic as possible. An idea mostly hatched by Rouge the Bat herself.

Silver had landed on the roof of the Team Dark duo's manor. He looked for a point of entry. Both Hope and Glory peered around as well, from side to side. Silver saw that the chimney was puffing black smoke, indicating a slow-burning fire was below. He furrowed his brows a little.

He contemplated for a moment, before he reasoned, "Looks like we'll have to find a different way in, you two."

So, he decided to use one of the skylights nearby. He walked over, wiped away the snow, and smiled. He checked the room below; a bedroom, it appeared to be. He nodded to the twin clouds, who "nodded" back.

Silver was cautious about his footsteps. His nacreous companions didn't have the luxury to worry about theirs. He craned his head around. He saw that a lot of sparkling objects were placed in various spots.

Unfortunately, so did Glory, Hope's silvery twin. It seemed to be marveling a diamond-encrusted choker on the headless mannequin bust. A sliver of what appeared to be an arm wisped mischievously toward it.

"No, Glory! Don't touch that," Silver snapped the whispery command at it. "That's not yours. Now leave it alone."

Glory shivered up and down, as if containing a laugh. Hope hovered over and began shoving its twin away from the necklace. Glory carried a pouting aura around it.

The elegant sleigh bed was the room's centerpiece, as Silver saw it. It was made up neatly. Silver blushed a little, figuring a couple lived there, and quietly crept out the bedroom. He signaled the twin clouds to follow with a hand.

Downstairs, Silver glided into the foyer. He scratched the back of his head. "I don't see the tree anywhere, you guys…" he muttered, a bit confused. "I'll just have to look for it. Hope we don't get lost, and then spotted…"

He threw a finger on his lips; so did Hope and Glory.

They could hear laughter coming from one of the hallways next to them. Silver blinked a little.

"Maybe the household isn't asleep yet," Silver thought aloud. He looked over at the cloud twins. "Should we drop in anyway?"

Both clouds "nodded" vigorously. They bobbed about in circles, "clapping" and cheering excitedly.

"Heh! Well, alrighty!" Silver chuckled cutely. "Let's get going then!"

Further along in the hallway, Silver admired the art pieces and advised the nacreous twins to watch their step. Even though they couldn't make any steps of their own to watch, they "nodded" anyway.

"All right, hang tight, guys! We'll be back with more refreshments," Silver heard a woman's voice echo into the hall suddenly.

He gasped, commanded "Girls, up!" and took Hope and Glory high up against the tall ceiling before either the bat woman or her black hedgehog companion could see them. They watched the couple stroll right into the room that was right underneath them. Silver blinked curiously. He cautiously signaled Hope and Glory downward. They hovered quietly down, flattening against each side of the doorway. Silver peeked over his shoulder, and saw that the door wasn't closed all the way. It was enough for him to slip through. He could discern a giggle from the woman.

"Umm…?" Silver drawled. He gulped a little. "You two stay up there," he mouthed, pointing back up at the ceiling. After Hope and Glory agreed, Silver took a couple gifts out of Hope's sack. He took a deep breath and sent them through the opening. He prayed for no bumps or snags; his psychic powers could only do so much for him, unfortunately.

He paused to gawk at what he was seeing, leaving the two presents floating in the air just over a desired table.

Silver found himself eyeballing a hidden make-out session between the bat woman and her hedgehog companion. It was a bit difficult for him to focus on balancing the two wrapped gifts. They spun around, bobbing up and down slightly, in his metaphysical grasp. He could pick up soft moans from the woman, who had apparently kicked up a leg. The presents were inching further over the side table. But Silver wasn't paying attention to their drifting away.

But to the sound of the couple's lip-locking.

His eyes snapped out of it as he threw his head away from the sight. The presents in his psychic grasp had dropped noiselessly onto the table. His face was madly flushed. So he quickly summoned Hope and Glory, and they all zoomed into the room farthest up the hallway.

Soon after, Silver was heaving for air. "I wasn't expecting to see that!" Silver exclaimed in his head, with a hand over his chest.

Hope tugged at a downy hem on Silver's jacket, and pointed out the rest of the room they were in. He blinked at the sight of sleek black appliances and pewter-finished cupboards and shelves. The elegant, bright cherry china cabinet in the corner looked a bit out of place, considering its style looked old-fashioned and "old-timey." Silver and the cloud twins noticed that some stemware was missing from it. Silver blinked; then blushed a bright cherry of his own again.

"Perhaps they're a bit tipsy…?" Silver wondered, blinked a little. He sighed. "Oh well."

Both Hope and Glory tugged at either fluffy hems and pointed at the refrigerator. Silver looked over and hovered towards it. Hope and Glory looked to each other nervously, while Silver took the subtle liberty to peek into the fridge.

"Guys, they have eggnog! Yes!"

Hope and Glory cheered merrily, dancing around like a couple of bubbly schoolgirls.

"Help me get the serving trays ready, girls!"

"Maybe we should save the good stuff for later, hmm?"

Rouge pecked one more sweetheart kiss on Shadow's lips before considering a break away.

"ATTENTION: LVL 1 INTRUSION ALERT ACTIVATED."

Shadow whipped his phone out of his pocket and inspected the message on its screen. Security alert texts indicated one intruder. Shadow growled under dipping brows. "How in the world did they get in here? Omega, pinpoint the intruder's current location. Where is he now?"

Rouge peeked over Shadow's shoulder. There, on the far-side table, were two gift boxes: One, glossy-black gift tied with a crimson ribbon, and the other, a turquoise present with a white rose bow on top. She blinked, cooing to herself. But Shadow didn't pick up on it as he communicated with house security's AI.

"…LVL 1 INTRUDER LOCATED IN KITCHEN AREA. THREAT QUOTA: ZERO. THREAT POTENTIAL: BELOW COMMON THRESHOLD."

"Alright, Omega. Keep monitoring him while maintaining Silent Mode. I believe an ambush is in order." Suddenly armed, Shadow was creeping out of the room. Rouge was close at his back. She sighed a little, taking up the two presents, and shadowing the black hedgehog down the hallway.

"The kitchen, huh? There's nothing of value there," Shadow hummed.

Rouge rattled off carelessly, "Unless you count the fridge, the glassware, the oven, the waffle iron…?" Then with a gasp, "My glassware! Oh no!"

"ALERT: INTRUDER WHEREABOUTS UNKNOWN."

"What the—'unknown'?! Omega, rescan the area." The fierce command preceded Shadow loading a few rounds after slinking against the wall. Rouge didn't want to believe the intruder was harmful, so she didn't arm herself. The presents were still cradled against her bosom.

"…INTRUDER WHEREABOUTS UNKNOWN," Omega had no choice but to report again.

"Grr, what in the—? Rescan this entire floor." Anxiety edged Shadow's ferocity. And in a fearless backwards swipe, he sent his aim around the kitchen doorway's corner. Despite searching for the intruder's body, his eyes found a counter full of trays. Small glasses, each brimming with eggnog, all innocuous in their lying wait. A bewildered look overtook the black hedgehog's features.

Rouge's eyes sparkled. She took up a tiny glass and a sip. "I had a feeling this intruder was harmless," she remarked in an alluring chortle.

Silver, invisible to both the bat woman and black hedgehog, pantomimed a "Whew!" to the hazy clouds. Hovering above them, he nimbly glided towards the doorway. Cautious, he waited over it in case one of them decided to go back out.

It appeared Shadow was the first to do that. Peering down at his Smartphone's screen this time, he witnessed "INTRUDER WHEREABOUTS UNKNOWN" glow in red caps across it. He snarled. "No one could've gotten in and out of here without detection! Omega, show me your most recent video feed: From fifteen minutes ago."

"ROGER."

Already with two trays in hand, Rouge bumped Shadow from her rear-end. "I think you should consider helping me deliver all the eggnog this 'intruder' set out for us!" She winked at him, swaggering away. "If you hunt him down, he might not come back to help us out ever again! Mr. Boss Grump!"

Critical eyes observed the fifteen minutes' worth of video playback. Shadow spotted the intruder, but, according to Omega, electromagnetic interference had somehow made the video frazzled. Shadow growled under his breath. Then saw two distinct boxes tied to Rouge's belt. Then, with an even sorer huff, he stamped back into the kitchen, to balance four more trays on each arm and each hand. Taking rigid steps, Shadow marched back down the hall.

And, still invisible, Silver covered a snicker. He and the nacreous twins zoomed out of the hall, and the mansion upon hearing Shadow's sneeze.

Thunderous rolls heralded a warning to anyone still outdoors. Feeling a thundersnow brewing, Silver "stood" atop a plaza's Christmas tree with his somehow unchanging burlap sack slung on his shoulder. He smiled pleasantly. "It's Saint Nicholas!" some children cried, pointing at him despite their mothers pushing them home. Silver couldn't contain his joy anymore. So he hovered down from the tree, throw his sack from his shoulder, and dumped its contents all over where he flew. "I've come bearing gifts for all to cherish!"

"Yay!" those same children overjoyed.

"Listen to your mommies, though, because a cold front blasting in! Brr~!" He feigned a playful shiver. "Make sure to snuggle up, nice and warm, and don't open your presents until Christmas morning!" He performed a few more aerial tricks for them, who clapped for him. And then, in came the snow flurries: Silver headed out, while everyone covered their faces from the winter blast. Once it was over, they saw that the mysterious Saint Nicholas had gone.

.o.~.O.~.o.

Finally Silver returned home to his apartment, crestfallen in remembrance of its condition. He sighed as he sent the door agape. But a gasp escaped soon after: A heap of presents cluttered that corner of the room, barely under his wreath. Also, his apartment was in a much more livable condition. His eyes lit up in surprise, as he looked around the newly refurbished apartment. He found gifts wrapped in all sorts of colors and patterns everywhere he turned.

"Granted wishes really do exist…!" Silver's smile broadened. He threw his sparkling eyes to the window. "And I totally believe it, now!"

After a sharp raise Silver leapt out, took off into the air, into the night sky, and towards the moon. And with hope and glory did he praise, "What a Merry Christmas, indeed! Woo-hoo!"

The End.