Disclaimer: I do not own these characters.
Sonic Saves Christmas
For once in his long career, Doctor Eggman had finally succeeded without interruption from the hedgehog. This particular plan had been in the making for the past two months. Everything had to be perfect, organized. Now, it was just two days before Christmas. With his robot's help, every package in the factory would soon hold the secret to world domination. Nobody would be able to stop him this time around. Standing on the balcony of the factory, his laugh rang through the open room. It sounded as if Santa had gone crazy.
-Shadow's residence-
"You know I can't cook Shadow," Sonic said. "You'll have to do all of it yourself."
"It is not that hard."
Shadow placed the spoon on the table and went to the cupboard to grab the molasses. Sonic crossed his arms and pouted.
"It is for me. Every time I try cooking, it gets burnt. You've seen it before. I'm not ruining Christmas dinner."
"You won't ruin Christmas dinner. All you have to do is put it in the oven and watch it." He poured some molasses into a cup before pouring that into the bowl. "I'll even prepare it for you."
"That's boring, Shads. Why can't you do it?"
"Because Rouge requested that I bake her cookies for some party at G.U.N. I don't know why she volunteered in the first place. She's terrible at baking. But she's my friend. I couldn't say no."
Sonic groaned. If anyone else had asked Shadow, he'd be able to convince him otherwise. But Rouge was another matter entirely. He couldn't ask him to back out on her.
"Fine. But if your father says one-"
A noise from the living room grabbed their attention. It sounded as if someone was in the house with them. The two went into the next room, preparing to attack the invader. They relaxed at the sight that met them.
A short human stood from where he'd fallen on the floor. At his full height, he was no taller than a Mobian. His ears were pointed, going well with the small, delicate features making up the rest of him. The green outfit completed the image of one of Santa's elves.
"You are home!" he clapped his hands gleefully. "It was hard to find you, Sonic the Hedgehog. And it's an honor to meet you." The elf bowed low.
"Nah, I'm the one being honored. You work for Santa Clause, don't you?" Sonic smiled. "You don't have to do that."
The elf looked embarrassed and worried when he straightened.
"Well, yes... I came for your help. Tomorrow's Christmas Eve, and it's already evening. Eggman's taken control of the North Pole. I don't know what he's done with Mr. Clause, but everyone else is locked up somewhere. I got away by pure luck. Please. You're the only one fast enough to save Christmas."
"Eggman, huh." Sonic looked at Shadow. The darker hedgehog gave him a light kiss.
"Go on. Answer Mobius' call."
Shadow returned to the kitchen as Sonic looked back at the elf. This would be the biggest, most important mission he ever undertook. Excitement bubbled up inside him as he ran to the backdoor and grabbed his scarf off the hook. Wrapping it around his neck, he spoke.
"How do we get there?"
"The sleigh's out back. It's the best way to get to the North Pole." Sonic opened the back door and left the building with the elf following close behind. In the backyard was a sleigh with a single reindeer hitched to it. "It's just a training sleigh. But Rudolph's one of the best. He'll get us there."
"Damn right I will." Rudolph struck a pose, one hoof raised and head held high. "So this is Sonic the Hedgehog."
"Nice to meet you Rudolph."
Sonic almost couldn't believe it. Even after everything else that had happened to him over the years. Now, he got to meet Rudolph and help Santa. He climbed into the sleigh as Rudolph's nose started glowing again. An annoyed huff from the reindeer had him chuckling.
"Damn nose," Rudolph muttered.
The elf got in next to Sonic and grabbed the reins.
"All right Rudolph. Get us back to the North Pole."
Reindeer and sleigh took off, climbing into the sky. The view was spectacular. Getting to see the world from above was something he wished he could do more often. Extreme Gear could only fly so high, and he rarely got to just look around when he was on the Tornado.
I won't take long with this, Shadow, he thought. Promise.
-Half an hour later-
According to the elf, they were nearly to the North Pole. The blizzard in front of them was the defense system that kept people from finding them. Obviously, it hadn't kept Eggman away. Not much could keep Eggman away. Sonic was shivering more ferociously by now. Unlike his friends, fur didn't completely cover him. And he was stupid enough to go out in with only a scarf on. The elf pressed a button on the sleigh's inner wall. Part of it fell open like a glove compartment, revealing a smaller version of Santa's coat.
"We have this for when the elf driving gets too cold," the elf said. "Go ahead and have it. You need one."
Sonic took the coat and slipped it on. His arms felt better now, his torso following their example once he had it buttoned.
"I'm going in!" Rudolph announced.
The blizzard seemed to slow down when Rudolph entered. Sonic watched as the snow formed a tunnel of swirling flakes around the sleigh. It was impressive, to say the least.
Some buildings came into view as the blizzard let up. Not a single light was on, which Sonic took as a bad sign. A sudden flash of light was the only warning they had before a laser was tearing through the sleigh. Rudolph had swerved from harm's way, but it was impossible for the sleigh to move that fast. A hole was blasted into its front, narrowly missing Sonic. There was no hesitation on Sonic's part. As the sleigh lost altitude, Sonic grabbed the elf and jumped onto Rudolph's back. Rudolph yelled as he unhitched the harness and let it fall to the ground.
"What do you think you're doing?"
"Just land," Sonic said.
"Better count yourself lucky," Rudolph said. "I don't let just anyone ride me."
Sonic chuckled and looked around. That laser had to come from somewhere. There was only one of Eggman's bots he knew of with a laser of that type. He hoped he was wrong.
"Santa have lasers?"
"Of course not," the elf said. "Eggman must've put something out."
Sonic would've preferred Santa having lasers. Rather than watch where Rudolph was going, he looked around. Metal Sonic had to be somewhere nearby. Unfortunately, he didn't see him until they landed. His robotic double attacked them the moment Rudolph's hooves touched the snow. If it weren't for Sonic kicking his arm to the side, Rudolph would've been seriously injured.
Metal Sonic looked at him the way he always did. With anger, and an intent to kill.
"Oh come on. You haven't succeeded yet. In this cold, I doubt you could do it now."
Metal Sonic gave a series of beeps Sonic didn't care to have translated. Instead, he jumped at the robot. The bottom of his shoes slammed into Metal Sonic's face and he jumped off him. The robotic hedgehog focused on Sonic, which was to be expected.
"You're predictable!" Sonic taunted. "After all these years, you still don't have anything to surprise me with!"
Sonic ducked under Metal Sonic's hand and kicked one of his legs. That had Metal Sonic off balance. He fell to one knee as he tried grabbing Sonic. Inside, he knew the living hedgehog was right. He'd never beaten him. The cold wasn't good for his systems, either. He'd been outside too long. Another laser narrowly missed Sonic. The beam burned through the building behind him instead.
"Eggy really doesn't care about you does he? Letting you freeze like this." Sonic's mocking tone wasn't lost on any of the people listening. "You can't even aim properly!"
Metal Sonic's claws would have torn through the coat and into Sonic's chest if Sonic hadn't stepped back. More beeps were thrown his way. Judging by his actions, Sonic guessed Metal Sonic really had been in the cold too long. Being Eggman's best creation, you think he would've had something to prevent that. Sonic almost felt sorry for the robot. But he didn't let that affect his actions. Running in tight circles around Metal Sonic, Sonic created a miniature tornado of cold air. In no time, Metal Sonic's systems had shut down. Sonic stopped as the snow settled down once again.
"Now, where's Eggman?"
"Inside somewhere, I'd imagine," the elf said.
Sonic went to the nearest building and slowly pushed open the door. Nobody was on the other side. The elf followed close behind him. Sonic snuck down the hall and peered around the corner. Still nobody. He turned to the elf and spoke.
"You said the others were locked up somewhere. Where is that?"
"In the Toy Factory," the elf said. "Follow me."
The elf led Sonic into the room beyond the corridor. Below them was a room full of machines and conveyor belts. Toys moved down the conveyor belts, falling from the chutes directly above them. Along the way, Eggman's bots were slipping something into the toys before they got wrapped.
"Damn Eggman," Sonic whispered. "Using Christmas as a means of world domination. He's gone too far this time."
"We have to be careful and quiet," the elf said. "If we disturb any of those robots, we'll be stuck here for a while. That man has a huge army of those things."
Sonic nodded. He was all too familiar with Eggman's army. Sonic motioned for the elf to lead the way. The elf went past him and started sneaking across the room, staying above and away from the robots. Sonic followed the elf as closely as he could. When they reached the other end of the room, the elf pushed open the door and moved into the hall beyond. As they went down the hall, Sonic began to wonder how Eggman had found the North Pole in the first place. It wasn't as if anyone knew for a fact that there was an actual miniature village here. And it seemed just a little odd that Eggman would send his robots searching for something that most people say doesn't exist.
"How much farther?" Sonic asked.
"Not much."
A few minutes later, they stopped in front of a door. Sonic spun into it, smashing it down. On the other side were a lot of elves. Mrs. Claus was also in there.
"Mrs. Claus, I've brought us help," the elf said. Sonic and he came into the room. Sonic didn't see Santa.
"Do you know what Eggman did with Santa?" Sonic asked.
"I'm afraid I don't."
Sonic sighed. Of course Eggman had to make things difficult. Hopefully, he hadn't moved him too far.
"All right. I'll find Santa. You guys, figure out some way to get rid of those robots. I don't know what they're doing to the presents, but you need to stop them."
Mrs. Claus nodded before gathering the elves. The elf that had led Sonic there went to join the others as Sonic left the room. Looking around, he wasn't sure where to go. Eggman wouldn't put him in a place that was too easy to get to. But it had to be somewhere smart.
"If I were Eggman, where would I hide Santa?" Sonic muttered. His foot was tapping on the floor as he thought it over.
With a shrug, Sonic hurried to one of the windows and looked out. Santa's house seemed like a good place to search first. Opening the window, Sonic ignored the cold air that swept over his thighs. Jumping from the windowsill, Sonic landed in the snow piled next to the building. Metal Sonic was still frozen in the center of the area. Sonic grinned before running over to what he assumed was Santa's home. Throwing open the door wasn't the stealthiest move, but Sonic wasn't known for his stealth. Nothing awaited him in the front room of the house. Warm and cozy, it was just what he'd expect from the house of someone living way up in the cold all year round. A single light was shining in the upstairs hall.
Sonic took his time, quietly making his way up there. Eggman's voice could be heard, but whether or not he was talking to Santa, Sonic wasn't sure.
"I'll release you once Christmas is over with, of course," he was saying. "No use in holding you somewhere when I no longer need to."
Sonic frowned. So Eggman hadn't moved Santa anywhere at all? Straining his ears, he focused to pay more attention.
"By then, everyone on the planet will be under my control anyway. Sure, you might not be, but what could you possibly do to stop me?"
Eggman laughed then, and Sonic decided he'd heard enough. As he moved forward, however, one of Eggman's robots grabbed his arms and tossed him down the hall.
"You won't be able to stop me this time, Sonic!" Sonic looked up to see Eggman's round stomach. The man was laughing again. "Metal Sonic will take care of you while I deal with Santa."
Sonic smirked.
"Hate to break it to you, but Metal Sonic's frozen."
"What? How did you-" Eggman composed himself rather quickly. "No matter. The others can take care of you."
Eggman ran down the hall faster than Sonic expected from a man as large as him. But it still wasn't fast enough. Sonic sprang to his feet, ready to run after him. Before he got the chance, the robots were moving in his way. The hallway both in front and in back was full of them. Where they had all come from, he had no idea. A grin burst across his face as he jumped into the first robot, slamming into it quills first. They tore through the robot and it fell to the floor. A hallway wasn't the most ideal place for his speed. Eggman had to have known that. The man was trickier than Sonic had given him credit for. The robots were coming at him from all angles, arms outstretched and ready to grab him. Others swung their arms in futile attempts at hitting him. Sonic dodged those, letting them knock down their comrades. No guns had come out yet. Sonic kept himself ready for them. For all he knew, Eggman was fixing up Metal Sonic that very moment. If Metal Sonic got into the fight, nothing would be left standing of Santa's house.
Sonic ran over the heads of the robots as he made his way down the hall. Every door was closed without any light seeping through the cracks. Sonic doubted Santa was anywhere in the building. Not after what Eggman had done. He ran to the window and leapt. Curling into a ball before he burst through the glass kept himself from taking too much damage. Sonic uncurled in the middle of his landing. Feet hitting the snow, he started off at a run. As he'd predicted, Metal Sonic was no longer a metallic statue. Green eyes searched the area desperately for any hints as to what Eggman had planned. The toy factory wasn't useful, Santa's house hadn't provided anything, and he doubted Santa would fit into most of the other buildings around the area. Snow flew from the ground as Sonic skid to a sudden stop. Down a small path at the corner of a group of houses sat the stables. Sonic ran down the path and into the stables.
"Heya guys. Anyone know anything about where Santa might be?"
All of the reindeer looked at him. Every last one of them were tied into place, unable to move. Sonic's eyes widened at the sight. He rushed to the first and climbed into the stall with him. There wasn't much space, but Sonic had been expecting that. Down in the corners were pegs holding the ropes in place. Sonic pulled all four of them out before moving the ropes off the reindeer.
"There ya go. Now to do the rest of you."
It took Sonic a while to untie all of the reindeer. Every minute that passed, he expected Metal Sonic to come bursting into the stables and start shooting. It was as unsurprising as Amy in a clothing store. The moment all of them were freed, one of them motioned to the back door of the stables.
"I think he's somewhere in the mountain over there," she said. "That fat man brought him out there a while ago on some kind of device."
"Thanks," Sonic sighed. Of course Eggman just had to bring Santa out into the mountains. "You guys can help here, right? I'll go find Santa."
Sonic sped off into the cold once again. Finding Santa had just gotten a lot harder, and he had until the end of that day to save him and Christmas. Determination set in his expression as he cut through the cold air. Being the fastest thing alive, he was at the mountain in no time at all. A loud roar echoed through the air. Huge footsteps showed in the snow before quickly filling with snow. Sonic stared for a moment before looking up at the mountain. Something huge was living there. He ran over and started to climb.
Nearly half an hour later, Sonic found himself at the entrance to a cave. A door was jammed into the side of the mountain, blocking the cave from the outside world. Sonic knocked loudly, internally scolding himself. Loud footsteps sounded behind the door before it swung open to reveal a large hairy creature. Deep blue eyes peered down at him from the shaggy white face. Sonic had to lean back to see it.
"Who's at the door?" The abominable snowman turned to look at whoever had spoken. Sonic tried to peer around him, but it didn't work.
"That you Santa?" Sonic called. "I came here to help you and-"
"Let him in," Santa said.
The abominable snowman moved to the side and Sonic entered the cave. Inside wasn't what he'd been expecting. He'd thought he'd find an empty cave with rock walls. Instead, it was like a miniature factory. Shadow would've had a field day here. Guns were lying all over the place, stacked on the conveyor belts and leaning against the wall.
"What's going on here?" Sonic asked.
"I've had this in place for ages," Santa explained. "I had it made specifically for situations like the one we're in now. Nobody takes control of my North Pole."
Sonic whistled. It was truly impressive.
"Guess you've got it all covered then."
"I could use some help," Santa said. The laugh he had then sounded much better than the one Eggman had. "You've got more experience with Eggman than I do."
Sonic looked around before responding.
"He isn't too hard," Sonic said. "What happened here? I thought for sure you'd be locked away or something."
"Everything living here is my friend," Santa explained. "They'd never help someone else."
Sonic looked at the abominable snowman as it looked at one of the conveyor belts. Surprisingly, it wasn't that surprising. Sonic looked back at Santa and smiled.
"Let's get started, then."
Hours later, Santa and Sonic were ready to take back the North Pole. The abominable snowman was ready as well, outfitted for battle. Sonic looked down at the small village that was the North Pole. Eggman wouldn't stay in charge for long. Sonic ran down the side of the mountain, flying into the small village before the others were halfway down the mountain. Elves and reindeer were running around, doing their best against the robots. Sonic frowned as he looked around for either Eggman or Metal Sonic. One or the other had to be somewhere in the middle of it all.
His wishes were granted as Metal Sonic came down from the rooftops. Sonic leapt back, causing Metal Sonic to miss. The robot didn't seem pleased with the result as he lunged for Sonic yet again. Sonic waged his finger as he hopped back again.
"I already told you, you aren't going to succeed."
Sonic ran in another direction, bringing Metal Sonic out of the village. He knew the robot was bound to try something big. He couldn't let that happen where other people could get hurt. A few dodges more on his part, and Metal Sonic did as he predicted. Energy built up around the robot before blasting out in every direction. Sonic was careful not to let it hit him. The snow vaporized as Metal Sonic burst through it toward Sonic. A trail was left behind him as he gave chase to the living hedgehog.
Oh crap, Sonic thought. Not good...
Metal Sonic had never held the energy like that for so long before. At the rate this was going, Sonic felt a twinge of worry. Metal Sonic had never had him on the run in such a manner before. Eggman's laugh rang through his mind as the chase continued. Sonic looked behind himself to see Metal Sonic preparing a laser. Green eyes widened as he checked the area. Nothing around would be enough to stop Metal Sonic. Not now.
The laser blast tore through the air, aimed for Sonic's torso. He shouted and dove to the ground, curling up and digging under the snow. The laser ripped through inches above him, melting the snow and ice with its heat. Sonic swallowed a sudden lump of worry in his throat. That had been too close. Metal Sonic let out a string of beeping that Sonic couldn't decide was happy or angry. He popped out from under the snow when he heard the end of it.
"Missed me!" he taunted. Then, he was off. Metal Sonic no longer had that energy around him. Now was his chance. He ran around Metal Sonic, too fast for the robot to keep up with him. Metal Sonic beeped again. Sonic like to think he was angering the robot. "What's the matter?" he asked. "Can't catch me? Out of energy?"
Sonic ran aback before throwing himself at the robot. He made sure to slam into him feet-first. Metal Sonic slid back as Sonic jumped back off his face. Sonic landed a few feet away, skidding in the snow. Metal Sonic shook his head before focusing on Sonic again. By then, Sonic was already jumping at him again. A flurry of kicks hit Metal Sonic at the speed of sound. Metal Sonic fell to the ground as Sonic moved away from him. Snow fell onto the robot as he lay there. Sonic stared down at him, waiting for him to get back to his feet. It didn't take long. Metal Sonic rose to his feet and looked at Sonic once more. Sonic found a growl rising in his throat. That was unusual for him. Metal Sonic attacked him again, and Sonic dodged before countering. Metal Sonic fell to the ground again once Sonic hit his legs. Sonic looked around for something that would help him. Off to the left was a ledge overlooking the ocean. Sonic's cocky smirk returned before he lured Metal Sonic in that direction.
The robot was soon kicked off the ledge and into the freezing water below. Sonic watched him fall before returning to the village. Santa had everything under control, Eggman's robots laying in pieces across the village. Eggman himself was nowhere to be seen. Sonic got a sinking feeling in his chest. Eggman had something up his sleeve; he always did.
The ground beneath them began to rumble and everyone turned to look at the toy factory. The roof burst then, a giant machine standing in the center of the building. Eggman was, of course, in the cockpit at the top of the machine. Sonic smirked. Of course Eggman had a giant robot.
"Over-compensating a little?" sonic asked.
Eggman growled and hit a button. Missiles launched from the robot's shoulders, directing themselves at Sonic. Sonic imply stood by before dodging at the last moment. The missiles hit the ground, sending bursts of snow into the air. Sonic looked around for a way to get to Eggman. Santa had the things behind him open fire on Eggman's giant robot.
"I wasn't expecting you back so soon," Eggman said. He didn't sound impressed.
"It's hard to take your time when you know you always win," Sonic bragged. "That hunk of metal gets easier and easier every time we fight," he said.
More missiles were launched in Sonic's direction, once again missing when he moved at the last second. Sonic scaled the wall of the building before launching himself at Eggman's cockpit. The robot moved one of its hands, swatting him from the air. The reindeer tried to help from the sky as the rest of Santa's forces tried helping from the land. The distraction was appreciated as Sonic tried again. This time, a crack appeared along the center of the glass cover. Eggman pressed a few buttons as he yelled in both anger and defeat. Sonic stumbled and fell back as the cockpit rose from the top of the robot. He fell to the robot's arm as Eggman made his escape.
"Figures," he said.
"Is that the last of him?" Santa asked. Sonic jumped to the ground in front of Santa.
"Hopefully."
"Thank you, Sonic." Santa laid a hand on Sonic's shoulder. "We can fix the rest of this ourselves."
Sonic smiled.
"Awesome. I'll be going now," he said. "Shads wants me to help him with something."
"You need something in return for this," Santa said with a smile. "Anything that's within my power to grasp."
Sonic thought for a few moments. There wasn't really anything he wanted that badly.
"Instead of helping me," he said. "You think you can give Shadow something?"
Santa smiled sadly.
"There are two things he wishes for each year," he said. "I can't give him either of them. But you can. Just go home. Spend Christmas the way you were planning to."
Sonic chuckled and gave Santa a thumbs up. In a moment, he was transported back home.
"Welcome back," Shadow said. "Now you can help. Get over here and cut out some of these cookies."
Sonic thought of what Santa had said as he walked into the kitchen behind Shadow. Sonic leaned against the counter and grabbed a cookie cutter.
"After I saved Santa, I asked him if he could give you something," Sonic said.
Shadow snorted.
"I don't deserve anything," he said.
"Don't talk like that. Anyway, he told me that all you wish for is two things he can't give you."
"Interesting," Shadow said. His tone didn't hold an ounce of interest. "Did he say what those things were?"
Sonic moved over to Shadow's side at the table. Cutting into the dough, Sonic moved the cutter to remove the cookie shape.
"Just that I can help with one of them," Sonic said. Shadow ignored his tone. "So, what's the-"
Shadow cut him off.
"You know as well as I do."
Sonic snorted in amusement and focused on helping Shadow. Tomorrow was Christmas. They had a lot to do.
I meant to have this up earlier. Sorry about that.