Disclaimer: I do not own Shadow the Hedgehog, Amy Rose or any Sonic Team related characters.

(A/N: a Christmas fic, with a twist.)

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The Hogfather

Chapter One

Silence swept through the room, only to be occasionally broken by the crackle from the fire in the fireplace. One lone figure sat in the warmth it provided, crimson eyes flickering in-time with the flames. The hedgehog was frowning at the tree that resided in the corner of the room; the custom was stupid and he didn't know why he had one up. Christmas wasn't a good time of year; he couldn't understand how other people didn't see it. The snow that had settled over the lands was pure; something the hedgehog assumed he was not. Shadow switched to staring at the fire the warmth it provided was a nice change and the opposite of the frozen wasteland that the snow had created. This holiday didn't hold anything for the onyx hedgehog; never had and never would. Standing from his seat he walked over to the window; wiping away some condensation fro the pane of glass he stared out at the white landscape. This peaceful time of year bothered the ruby orbed male; no one - apart from the thieves - through this season of good-will dared to voice the evil in the world although it is around them as they celebrate. Shadow sighed to himself; he knew he wasn't the only one to be having an unwanted Christmas; there was one person who had had her heart broken a few days ago. One Amy Rose. The blue hedgehog had told her that her feelings were being wasted on him and that he could never return her love... Of course she had not taken it well and had cried for quite some time. Christmas, Shadow concluded from what he had seen so far, was a time for heartache and pain for those who had nothing, humans and hedgehogs alike. Walking away from his window and the winter 'wonderland' outside, the ebony hedgehog went into the kitchen to get something to eat. The selection however was bland; cursing to himself, the male tried to make something edible. After managing to scrape together a sandwich, he ate it in almost one bite, actually feeling the 'meal' dissipate the feeling of hunger. The time of year came back to his conscious thoughts; the meaning - to him - was no comfort, only misery; for an unfathomable reason the pink hedgehog entered his thoughts. Shadow frowned, he didn't care that much about her; he supposed the reason why she remained friends with him was because of what happened on the ARK. He heard his front gate open and as he heard faint voices, his cerise eyes narrowed. Storming to the front door he opened it to see carol singers advancing down the pathway to his door. A flash of blue caught his attention as the leader fiddled with the hood of his coat and a fierce growl emitted from his lips as he recognised who it was. As the onyx hedgehog went to close his door to pretend that he wasn't in, he was spotted

"Shadow!" Sonic's voice halted his efforts

"What?" He replied irritably

"Want to come carol singing?" The blue blur asked in response. Crimson eyes studied the others with his rival and noticed the lack of the pink female, as he turned to look at the hero Shadow could see hope in his emerald eyes

"No" the ebon male replied folding his arms

"Oh come on Shadow, its Christmas Eve! Where's your Christmas spirit?" The blue hero whined making everyone with him - including Shadow - cringe

"I don't have any" the streaked hedgehog replied closing the door in his adversary's face. Ignoring the group outside his door, Shadow sat in front of the fire again, warming himself up after the cold draft from the door from the carol escapade. A few hours later the black hedgehog yawned as he started to get ready to sleep; he hoped to sleep the holiday season away, then everything would go back to normal. Getting under the red duvet cover, he shivered involuntarily as the chill from the unused sheets travelled through his fur. Closing his eyes he managed to drift off into a light slumber.

Onyx ears twitched upon hearing something on the roof. The ebon hedgehog muttered obscenities under his breath as he turned to look at the red digital display of his bedside clock One Forty-five? Who the hell is making that much noise at this time in the morning? Another sound came from his roof and he glared at the ceiling, contemplating on going to investigate the rudely awoken hedgehog slipped his air-shoes on. Curiosity got the better of him and he quietly opened his window; upon managing to flip silently onto his roof from his room, he saw a big silhouette next to his chimney. Anger shot through him, how dare someone try and burgle him on Christmas Eve! Charging a powerful chaos spear, he gave the Doctor Eggman shaped figure a chance to notice him and leave but to Shadow's fury, he carried on regardless. Pointing his hand at the burglar he let a silent chaos spear towards the intruder; as it hit and made a slight flame when it cut through the clothes he was wearing, Shadow knew it had killed him. The ruby eyed male walked cautiously up to the figure lying on his roof, not sure if it was a trap. When he was stood above the body, he could make out a red and white top with matching bottoms; raising his unimpressed eyes to the face of the intruder a white beard stood out on his face and a matching red hat perched on his head. Shadow knelt to get a closer look at the jolly looking man, he looked familiar and the onyx hedgehog could not place where he had seen this person. Tracing his memories he found the answer in the deep recesses of his mind; this man was on the front of many cards and decorations for this time of year. Lifting up the old man's wrist, he searched for a pulse.

"Shit..." he swore when he couldn't find even a faint heartbeat. Standing, he clenched his fists together and began the walk back to his room, he'd move the body tomorrow; his mind was too confused to deal with it now.

Had he, Shadow the Hedgehog, just killed Santa Claus?