Sonic and related characters are property of Sega. Any items mentioned are property of their respective owners. Enjoy.
Oh Deer!
"Jingle bell, jingle bell, jingle bell rock, jingle bells swing and jingle bells ring..." the timeless holiday classic fills the living room of Miles 'Tails' Prower's mystic Ruins workshop. The living room is beautifully decorated with holiday decor including wreaths, stockings hung by the fireplace for each of his friends, fragrant candles, and at a large front window standing proud and majestic, an 8ft tall pine tree adorned with an assortment of vintage and modern ornaments, red, gold, and green speckled garland, and sparkling multicolored lights.
It's Christmas Eve morning and in the workshop, Tails, Sonic, Amy, Knuckles, Vector, Espio, Charmy, Rouge, and surprisingly, Shadow, gathered around to share eggnog, freshly baked sugar cookies, and their excitement about celebrating the most joyous holiday of the year, Christmas.
"I can't believe it, Christmas is already here! Oh how time flies!" Amy stated gleefully. Everyone nodded in agreement.
"Yeah, Christmas time means only one thing, ALL THE TOYS AND CANDY CANES IN THE WORLD! Christmas, hurry up already!" the young hyperactive bee, Charmy exclaimed.
"No Charmy. Christmas means much more than that. It is a time for giving and spreading cheer to everyone!" Amy replied.
"That's right, Amy. It's nothing like making someone happy by giving them a present to show them that they're thought of." said Tails
"No wiser words said lil bro. Pleasin' is the reason for the season!" Sonic added heartily.
"Could you sound any more awkward faker?" Shadow asked his rival.
"Well, it is...ain't it?" Sonic answered.
"Your asinine comments never cease to amaze me." Shadow sighed and made his way over to a nearby table for another cup of eggnog.
"Well, what Jolly ol' Saint Nick can give me is a bag full of mulah to pay the past due rent on our office space."
Espio shook his head at Vector's comment and replied, "Vector, while you continue waiting on your miracle money, I'll treat myself to more of those delicious cookies; compliments to you, Amy."
"Why, thanks Espio." Amy replied cheerfully. She then turned to Sonic who was sitting next to her. "How do you like the cookies, Sonic?"
"They're pretty good Ames, yummy!" Sonic replied with a grin and a thumbs-up.
"Oh, Knuckie..." Rouge started with her most seductive voice to the red echidna guardian. "You know, since this IS the season for giving and since I was a good little bat girl all year, all I want for Christmas is that huge green rock of yours, what do you say, hm?" Rouge purred while walking two fingers along Knuckles' arm causing a watermelon colored blush to appear on his muzzle. "
"Not on your life, thief!" retorted Knuckles.
"Wha...what did you call me? I'm not a thief you...you, Scrooge!" Rouge exclaimed and punched Knuckles' chest pretty hard before storming away from him.
"Ouch! That's gonna leave a bruise you know!" The surprised echidna shouted while rubbing his now throbbing chest.
"Whatever, no one's gonna notice it anyways!" Rouge shot back leaving Knuckles to process what she said. He simply shook his head and went back for another round of eggnog and cookies.
The gang gathered once more after going for another fill up of eggnog and cookies. This time Shadow and Rouge sat together on one sofa, the Chaotix on another, Knuckles and Tails sat next to one another on separate chairs, leaving Sonic and Amy to sit together on a love seat closest to the front door.
"Well?" Tails started, "Has everyone finished shopping for gifts? I'm about all finished with mine." Tails finished happily.
"I'm still trying to find something for the pickier of us two" Rouge answered while cutting an eye over at Shadow who replied with an 'hmph.'
"I'm about finished myself." Espio chimed in. Vector and Charmy nodded their heads as a response.
"Nah! I'm still trying to find that perfect gift for a special someone." added Sonic.
"Is that so, Blue? Who is that special person? Does she happen to be sitting next to you right now?" teased Knuckles.
"Yes! And Sonic will finally propose to me making me the happiest girl on Christmas!" Amy looked over at Sonic to see a look of pure fright on his face. Amy's face turned downright terrifying as she pulled out her piko piko hammer and held it above his head. "Right... Sonic?" her voice laced with venom.
Facing the threat of Amy's wrath upon his head, the hero found it difficult to find his voice and settled for forcing down a large lump in his throat and stuttered out, "Uh...uh...it's burning hot in here; need to go for a run, see ya!" The cobalt colored hedgehog bolted out of the door; down the hill, and into the thick jungle of the ruins.
"There he goes again." Charmy sighed.
"Get back in here Sonic!" screamed Amy.
"Amy, you're hopeless." Rouge concluded with a shake her head.
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Outside of his North Pole toy factory, we find Santa Claus, who instead of his traditional red with white bordered suit and matching hat; opted to wear something more inconspicuous such as a heavy winter coat over a holiday themed sweater, corduroy pants, and shiny black boots reaching mid-calf. He, along with his trusty reindeer who are securely harnessed and ready to pull the massive sleigh, were going through the final safety checklist for his test run through Station Square. Throughout the year, Station Square's population had grown considerably and because of this, Santa thought a trial run was necessary to make sure he included the new homes in his usual route and to readjust the time needed for him to finish his deliveries before midnight, Christmas morning. Satisfied that all was in working order, Santa hopped into his sleigh; grabbed onto the reins, and with a joyous shout, he commanded his beloved reindeer to take to the sky, "On Rudolph, on Dasher, on dancer, on Prancer, on Vixen, on Comet, on Cupid, on Donner, on Blitzen!"
After a few hours of adjusting and readjusting his delivery route, Santa decided to give his reindeer a rest and guided them to a small village nestled within a patch of woodland not far from where Sonic is taking his run. "It's pretty quiet around here. I guess everyone is preparing their holiday feasts and children are anxiously waiting for tomorrow to see their toys underneath their trees. I'll just quietly pass through and enjoy this lovely village and savor the wonderful aromas wafting throughout it." The reindeer seem to agree with Santa's suggestion as they snorted contently and looked about curiously.
"That Amy just won't quit with trying desperately to win my affections, it's driving me insane!" Sonic the hedgehog thought out loud as he pounded his soap shoes rhythmically against the white powder of snow in his aimless run to clear his mind of the pink hued hedgehog, heading towards the village where Santa and his reindeer are passing through.
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Along a small strip of shops and a quaint inn, Santa decided that before he continued on through the village, he'd stop into the inn to grab a bite to eat. He hitched Rudolph, his lead reindeer to a pole directly outside of the inn but gave the line a little slack so the animals can walk a bit to keep their leg muscles from stiffening. A chime on the front door signaled the innkeeper to the presence of a guest and an elderly lion looked up at the guest with a smile and motioned the guest toward the counter.
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
As Sonic continued to run along the deceptively clear snowy road, he began to get lost in singing a Christmas carol befitting the wintery landscape that surrounds him.
"Oh, the weather outside is frightful ..."
Having increased his speed a bit, Sonic is rapidly approaching the village.
"But the fire is so delightful..."
The blue blur has now entered the village.
"And since we've no place to go..."
The hitched reindeer are disturbed by an enormous cloud of snow being kicked up by something rapidly approaching them. The frightened reindeer began to panic and tried to free themselves from their restraints, but that proved futile. Sonic continued his blind run and as he neared the group of panicked animals.
"Let it snow, let it snow, let it...are those...reindeer? LOOK OUT!" Sonic shouted in hopes that would get the attention of the reindeer. He tried desperately to slow down his momentum, but it was too late. The speedy hedgehog plowed straight into one of the reindeer, causing him, the impacted reindeer, its companions, and the sleigh to be thrown a considerable distance away from the inn leaving them all badly injured with broken bones and Sonic also suffering a concussion.
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
After the pleasant formalities between Santa and the innkeeper named Don were complete, Don invited Santa to sit and placed a glass of water before him. "Good day to you sir, what can I get for you? How about today's special, savory shepherd's pie, perhaps?" started the innkeeper.
"Oh, that sounds delightful! I'll have that. It will be just what I need to hold me for the long trek home, thanks."
"So you won't be staying?"
"No actually. I'm just passing through but needed to stop and take rest so, here I am."
"Well, relax yourself while I bring you your meal, ok? The name's Don, by the way."
"It's a pleasure to meet you, Don."
Don the lion excused himself and went into the kitchen to gather the meal for Santa. Santa took in the sights of his immediate area and felt a warm feeling wash over him. 'He is quite a gracious fellow and this place is very cozy. If he is this way, I can presume that the rest of the villagers share the same trait. I may be making stops to every home to place a toy or two under the trees.' he thought to himself. "Here you go sir, your shepherd's pie. Enjoy." Don announced placing an adequate serving of the meal in front of Santa.
"Oh I will; thank you." Santa replied with satisfaction. While Santa was enjoying his meal, Don began engaging him in a bit of small talk about life in the village and how the people prepared for each holiday.
Outside of the inn, a group of villagers who were startled out of their homes from the loud collision were now gathered around the casualties. A team of news reporters were on the scene giving detailed reports and taking interviews. A medical team and a veterinary team were called to offer aid. One villager burst into the inn and ran over to the only two present; Santa and Don, to tell them of the horrific scene outside.
"I thought I heard something like a crash. Did you say a blue hedgehog and a few reindeer?" asked Santa to the villager.
"Yep, but they don't look so good."
"Oh gosh, Let us go and see what's going on out there!" Don finished.
The three men ran over to where the crowd of gatherers had formed a circle around the scene. Santa pushed his way to the front and was mortified at what he saw before him. Santa dropped to his knees in front of the mess of broken reindeer. "No! Oh what happened to you all? Of all things that could happen to me, why this? Why now? What am I going to do?" Santa finished, shaking his head in sadness. Don went over to Santa and placed a hand on his shoulder. "Are those...your beasts?"
Santa, not wanting to give himself away, thought quickly of an elusive answer, "I um...I was looking after them for someone and was on my way back to the stables with them."
"Oh." replied Don. "Looks like the vets are gonna take them and fix them up for you."
Santa picked himself up and walked over to the veterinary team who told him that they would care for the reindeer and for him to come with so he could claim ownership before they can be treated and released to him. Santa agreed and went along with the team.
Meanwhile, the other causality, Sonic, was slowly coming to. He groggily forced himself to a sitting position and fixed his emerald eyes on the med techs that were treating his immediate wounds. "Unh, what happened?"
"Are you Sonic the hedgehog?" one of the techs asked.
"Yeah, I think..." Sonic replied holding his head.
"Well, you were involved in a collision with a group of restrained reindeer. You all suffered broken bones and you are slightly concussed. Stay calm; we're going to take you to the hospital where you can get proper treatment to mend your legs, ok?"
"My legs...broken? Reindeer? Santa? I hurt Santa? Oh, no..." With that realization, Sonic fell back onto the ground and passed out.