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IT'S CHRISTMAS! 8D
Merry Christmas everyone! Hope you enjoy this special we whipped up for you! Many blessings to you all, and a Happy New Year! :D
d~b
*Episode 14*
The Christmas Special!
Christmas Eve!
All was white around the city, as the snow kept falling and the wind kept blowing, as a small figure clad in a heavy jacket, snow-pants, boots, hat, scarf, gloves- the works- shuffled through the snow toward Paradise Towers, carrying shopping bags. He made it to the building, pulling open the doors, letting in a bit of the winter chill but pushing them shut so not to let out any of the warmth. The figure pulled down their scarf, revealed to be Flip Chan. "Wam-bam, what a jam!" he exclaimed, brushing snow off himself. "The road's packed with snow! I could barely make it down the sidewalk, it was up to my knees!"
Behind the desk sat Robotnik, who was rolling his eyes. "And you're telling this to me… why?" he sneered.
"Oh, I was just stating how bad the weather is. I hope it clears up soon, I'm planning on going home for Christmas tomorrow!"
"Good- the more of you who leave, the better,"
Flip arched an eyebrow. "What's your problem, Robotnik? Aren't you excited about Christmas?"
"Ha! I haven't cared about Christmas since I was a kid!"
"Why?"
Robotnik sneered. "Don't you have somewhere to go?!"
Flip shook his head with a sigh- he forgot what a grouch Robotnik was. He picked up his bags and went to the elevator up to his floor, heading into the apartment he shared with Shaggy and Pugsy. "Hey, Shag, I'm back!"
"Oh, hey Flip!" Shaggy replied, hanging ornaments on their Christmas tree. "Got everything you needed?"
"Yep. Consider everyone on my Christmas list, covered!"
Shaggy walked over, peeking into the bags. "What'd you get-?"
Flip jerked the bags away. "Hey, no peeking! If you guys have to keep your presents to me hidden, the same rule applies to you,"
Shaggy shrugged. "Ah well, there's something more I'm looking forward to anyway," he reached into the decoration's box, pulling out a mistletoe. "I'm going to hang up this baby, and when Melody comes over, all she and I have to do is stand under it, and it's smooch city!"
Flip grinned. "Geez, ever since we moved here, you've been crushing on her, haven't you?"
Shaggy shushed him. "Like, not so loud, Flip! I'd like to break the ice myself,"
"Alright… so, where are you going to hang that thing?"
"Over the doorway!" Shaggy grabbed a tack and stuck it to the top of the doorframe, hanging the mistletoe on it.
Flip arched an eyebrow. "You sure that's a good spot?"
"It's the perfect spot! Just wait for the Christmas magic to happen!"
*Knock knock!*
"It's her!" Shaggy threw open the door-
Freezing when he saw Pugsy standing there. The stocky young man arched an eyebrow.
"So… where's the Christmas magic?" Flip asked with a chuckle.
*SLAM!*
"That does NOT count!" Shaggy snapped, then immediately took down the mistletoe.
The door opened, and Pugsy walked in, picking up some grocery bags. "Any particular reason why you slammed the door in my face?!" he demanded.
"It would be less awkward if we avoided the matter. …And, like, why'd you knock man?"
"It's hard to open a door with all the groceries I had to buy," Pugsy set the groceries on the counter, then walked out and grabbed another armful! "I really had to stock up this week- we've got a freak-blizzard coming in! The roads are packed for miles!"
"I'd better call my dad," Flip said, heading for the phone. "He was going to come pick me up!"
"You do that, I'll put away the groceries- and Shag, be careful where you're hanging that thing!"
Shaggy rolled his eyes, setting the mistletoe down and deciding to go back to decorating the tree.
"Hi, Dad, it's Flip," Flip said into the phone. "I was just calling to tell you about the roads… oh, you did?...You won't? …That bad? Yikes… No, it's okay. Just tell everyone I said Merry Christmas, and 'll give them their presents whenever I can get there. …you too. Bye." He then hung up, sighing.
"Wuh-oh… not the heavy sigh. What's wrong?" Pugsy asked.
"Dad said the roads are too slick to drive on, and the weather's getting worse. I guess I won't be heading home for Christmas," Flip sat down on the couch.
"Like, don't worry, Flip. We don't mind having you over for Christmas! Our friends will be coming over,"
"If they can make it,' Pugsy said, looking out the window. "Looks like the snow's really coming down, and won't be clearing off soon."
Shaggy gave him a look. "Thanks for the highlight, Mr. Grinch."
"Hey, I'm not saying it's that bad!" Pugsy sat down beside Flip. "Cheer up, kid. It's Christmas- and you'll be seeing your family, soon as the snow clears off."
Flip nodded. "Yeah. I guess I'll just go wrap their presents, in case something changes," he replied, then took his bags into his room to wrap.
Shaggy and Pugsy looked at each other. "So, what should we do?" Shaggy asked.
"Simple- celebrate Christmas, keep the kid's spirits up, turn up the heat, whatever we can." Pugsy finished putting away the groceries. "Speakifying of heat, I'm going down to the basement to see if Jasper and Horace are working on the furnace, it's freezifying in this building!"
"Like, I'll go with you," Shaggy said. "I think I forgot some decorations down there,"
With that, the duo walked out.
d~b
Meanwhile across the hall, Shawn K. and Uncle Ted were getting festive as well. Shawn K. was making cookies while Uncle Ted was hanging a wreath on the door. "Boy, look at it snow out there!" Uncle Ted exclaimed, looking out the window. "Might have to call my sister and tell her we won't be able to make it until the snow clears,"
"I heard on the weather-report that it's supposed to snow until Christmas morning." Shawn replied with a shrug. "Ah well, at least everyone will have a white Christmas."
"Man, this sucks!" came a shout, as Derek walked out of his room. "It's freezing in my room, it's too cold out to go anywhere, and my DS died on me AGAIN!"
"Calm down, Derek. You should be excited- Christmas is tomorrow!" Uncle Ted told him. "I bet Santa will bring you an extra game-charger, if you're good."
Derek rolled his eyes. "I stopped believing in Santa when I was ten, Uncle Ted. Besides, all I got is one present- and I bet it's just another sweater,"
"Considering your attitude, you should be lucky you're getting anything." Shawn remarked. "You know money's been tight this year for everyone- heck, it's a surprise Shag and Pugs can keep up with their rent,"
"Says you! You're a celebrity- you probably have a bank account in every country!"
"Ah, not every one- he had to close the one he had in Venezuela," Uncle Ted said.
"Derek, is there any reason why you're in a bad mood?" Shawn questioned.
"I just want to get out of here, that's all. I've been stuck in here all day!" Derek answered.
"Stuck? You got up at noon and watched television until 3 o'clock, then started playing on your little gaming doohickey for three hours until it died on ya!" Uncle Ted responded. "And the snow didn't start falling until 4, so you pretty much locked yourself in here,"
"Whatever," Derek grabbed a cookie, but Shawn grabbed it back.
"Oh, no you don't. These aren't for you," Shawn scolded.
"What, are you saving them for 'Santa'?"
"That, and we're heading over to Shaggy's place for a party tomorrow. …besides, a grumpy little elf like you doesn't deserve one, until your attitude changes,"
Derek sneered, then stormed back to his room.
"Boy, someone sure is set to get on the naughty-list," Uncle Ted scoffed.
"There's only one other person I know who could be worse…" Shawn replied.
d~b
"Scratch! Grounder!" Robotnik bellowed in the basement.
Immediately, the two lackeys zipped up, holding a wrench and a hammer. "Yes, boss?" they asked together.
"When will the Megatron-Standard Death-Tron be done?!"
"Well, er, we're working as fast as we can, boss, but the machine isn't too easy to assemble!" Scratch answered.
"Half of the instructions are in Spanish!" Grounder said, holding up the manual and flipping through it. "…and the other half are in Chinese."
"And half of the parts we need aren't in the bloody box!" Jasper sneered, as he and Horace were by a quarter-built machine, Horace digging through the box. "They should include the label, 'Each part sold separately', as much as they've given us!"
"And some of the pieces keep breaking!" Horace added, trying to attach a piston into its shaft… only for it to break. "See?"
"Then just rummage through the scraps leftover from the LAST machines that you can use, and hot-glue those pieces together, and use an online translator for the instructions!" Robotnik scoffed. "Just get that machine built!"
The lackeys groaned. "Boss, with all due respect, could we put it off until… maybe the 26th?" Grounder asked. "It's Christmas Eve,"
"Right, and we were thinking, maybe we could have the holiday off." Jasper added.
"Have the holiday off, did you say?" Robotnik repeated, calmly. "Gentlemen, I pay you to build my machines, keep my base and real identity secret, and clean up the messes that are made…" he then clenched his fists. "I do NOT pay you to sit around the Christmas tree and sing carols! You're all going to keep working until this machine is complete!"
The lackeys all groaned. "C'mon, boss! Don't you have any Christmas spirit?" Scratch asked.
"Let me check- NO! This holiday for 'good will towards men' and 'holiday cheer' and 'giving to others'… What kind of villain would I be if I gave in to all that- that- what's the word I'm looking for?"
"Humbug?" The lackeys all guessed.
"That'll work! …Speaking of which, get BACK to work!" Robotnik snarled, then walked off.
"Now there's a character who makes Ebenezer Scrooge look like a saint," Jasper huffed.
Robotnik walked towards the stairs, when he noticed Shaggy and Pugsy by them, rummaging through some boxes. "I know it's in here somewhere…" Shaggy was muttering, so deep in the box that his legs were the only thing sticking out.
"I highly doubt a Singing Santa and Sleigh prop is worth all the trouble, Shag." Pugsy commented, leaning against the wall with his arms crossed.
"Pugs, the thing cost me 25$ at Wal-Mart last year, I think it's worth it!"
"What are you two imbeciles doing down here?!" Robotnik demanded.
"It's the storage area, ain't it?" Pugsy retorted. "We're getting stuff we stored down here…" he looked in the box. "…and it's a miracle so much of it made through all those explosions,"
"Bah, whatever! Just keep to your own things, and keep away from mine!"
Pugsy looked over, noticing the machine-in-process. "Speaking of which, what're you building over there?"
"I-It's, ah… a new water-heater!" Robotnik replied quickly.
"I see… By the way, is the furnace busterated down here?"
"No, it's still working- what are you, the building inspector?"
"No, it's just I have the thermostat cranked up to 75-degrees, and the place is still freezifying! Everyone's complaining about it being only 64 in the halls and stuff, plus a few of the pipes are frozen!"
"Too bad, heat costs money… and speaking of money, keep in mind you still have a rent to pay! Better not blow it all on eggnog and tinsel and whatever else you buy on Christmas."
"We've got another week, it ain't due yet."
"Yeah, we can still afford the 500 a month," Shaggy added.
"Hey, boss! We're done!" Jasper called.
Robotnik turned- seeing the machine fully-built! "That was quick," he said, surprised.
"Hey, when we're determined to get a break, we work quick," Scratch replied.
Shaggy stood up, a few decorations falling out with him. "Like, wow, that's some water-heater!" he said, walking to get a closer look…
Accidentally stepping on an orb-ornament, and ended up slipping and sliding! "Whoa! Easy Shag!" Pugsy cried, reaching to catch his friend, but ended up tripping over some tangled-up lights that caught around his ankles! "Yeow!"
"No! Stop-!" Robotnik cried.
*Thud!*
Too late.
Shaggy and Pugsy ended up smack-dab against the machine! Luckily, however, the machine was still standing.
Robotnik and the lackeys breathed a sigh of relief.
Shaggy and Pugsy stood up. "Well, that could've been worse," Shaggy said with a light chuckle.
"Yeah, talk about a close one," Pugsy said, patting the machine.
*CRASH!*
The machine immediately fell apart!
Everyone gawked… by that we mean Robotnik gawked, while the lackeys ducked in cover, and Shaggy and Pugsy stood there, stunned. "Um… he touched it!" Shaggy said quickly as he pointed at Pugsy (who, in turn, gave him a dark glare).
"Thanks for the back-up, 'pal'," Pugsy sneered.
"You… you… you IDIOTS!" Robotnik screamed. "You just ruined a $2,000 machine!"
"L-Like, take it easy, Robotnik, it was an accident!" Shaggy stammered. "We'll help fix it!"
*Fwoosh!*
The disassembled machine suddenly caught fire! Grounder rushed to the scene with a fire-extinguisher, putting out the flames.
"You two aren't touching another thing down here!" Robotnik snarled. "…And to pay off the damages, your rent just went up! From now on, I expect $1000 dollars… EACH!"
"WHAT?!" Pugsy and Shaggy both shouted.
"Are you crazified?! We can't afford that!" Pugsy snapped. "It's amazing we can make ends meet now!"
"What about that money Flip won in the last episode?" Horace asked.
"He spent it mostly on Christmas shopping, helping us buy groceries…" Shaggy explained, then coughed. "…fixed my car after Flim-Flam drove it…"
"Well, unless Flip has enough money to help you stay here, I suggest you start packing, or cough up the cash before the week is out!" Robotnik ordered.
Pugsy sneered. "Considering the way YOU run this place, I'd take my chances in the blizzard," he muttered. "C'mon, Shag." With that, the duo walked out of the basement.
Robotnik waited until they were gone, then laughed evilly. "At last! I will finally be rid of those buffoons! I'll never deal with their nuisances again-" he paused just then, hearing something upstairs. "What's that sound?"
*Ding-ding-ding, ding-ding ding, ding-ding, ding, ding-ding*
"It sounds like someone's playing 'Jingle Bells' on that desk-bell," Horace guessed, listening closely.
Robotnik seethed. "If that's who I think it is…" he stormed upstairs. "TED! How many times do I have to tell you to leave that bell alone?!"
"Heh, sorry Robotnik, I couldn't resist!" Uncle Ted replied with a chuckle. "I just came down to ask if you could turn the heat up in the building? Everyone's freezing, and my nephew is just about ready to cram himself in the oven,"
"The thermostat is at 65, and that's where it's going to say!"
"Sheesh! Someone put coal in your stocking or something?"
"Oh, never mind!" Robotnik stormed upstairs. "I'm going to go see if those nerds in room 1512 have any electronic parts I could use,"
Uncle Ted watched him go, shrugged, then -*Ding*- rung the bell one more time before walking to the elevator.
d~b
Upstairs, Pugsy and Shaggy paced around the living room. "You don't think he was serious, do you, Pugs?" Shaggy asked.
"Who knows? Something always bustifies down in that basement- we might as well find a new apartment building anyway. Holly might have a place we could move into next door," Pugsy replied. "We'll worry about it later,"
Shaggy sighed, then decided to go back to decorating. "Well, at least we'll be getting to spend the holidays with Flip, Shawn, and Ted. There's a bright-side," he picked up the mistletoe. "Only problem is I don't know where to hang this thing,"
Pugsy grabbed it and hung it over the balcony doorway. "This spot will work- kissing by some winter scenery is sure to warm any girl's heart."
Flip was walking in, and took notice of where the mistletoe was. "Pugs, I can think of one way that plan can backfire," he said.
"How?"
The balcony doors opened, and in walked Zippy, wearing a winter-jacket, scarf, and ski-cap. "Merry Christmas Eve, guys!" she exclaimed.
Pugsy froze and Zippy turned to him… then looked up. "That way." Flip whispered to him.
"Well, don't just stand there, Pugs- warm the girl's heart!" Shaggy joked.
"Uhh…" Zippy responded, while Pugsy paled.
Fortunately, the Black Alchemist zipped down through the doorway and planted a kiss on Zippy's cheek, giving her a wink before leaving. "Thank you!" Pugsy called to him, then quickly took down the mistletoe.
"What brings you over, Zippy?" Flip asked.
"More importantly, why didn't you just come in through the front door? It's a blizzard out there!" Shaggy added.
"I was finishing setting up the lights, figured I'd come on over and see how things are going over here," Zippy replied. "I know everyone's complaining because the building is freezing,"
"Yeah, Doctor Scrooge downstairs won't turn up the heat, AND jacked up our rent!" Pugsy sneered. "We may just move to Trueblood Plaza next door,"
"With Holly?" Flip repeated, little hearts appearing in his eyes.
"I dunno, guys. I just checked out Holly's Fakebook page- apparently the whole building's gotten full since Katrina got the boot," Zippy said, whipping out a laptop and pulling up the Fakebook page. "I think April O'Neil bought the last one," she shut the laptop. "Which stinks, considering I planned on moving into that building too…"
"You want to move out too, huh?" Pugsy asked.
"Who doesn't? I can't afford the rent here, either! Heck, the only reason I can make ends meet is because Shawn lends me money for keeping his fan-girls away when he does out in public, but that's only on the weekends. …But, lets not spend the holidays whining and complaining. It's a time of celebration, right?"
"Right. And who knows? Maybe Robotnik will change his mind!" Flip replied.
"That would be a miracle," Pugsy said.
"That would be the first start of the apocalypse," Zippy scoffed.
"I thought the first sign was when you entered that beauty pageant," Shaggy joked. Zippy gave him a look then walked over… and held the mistletoe over her head. "Yikes!" The coward then fled.
Zippy looked at the mistletoe, then turned to the audience. "There's always pros and cons to this thing,"
d~b
Across the hall, Shawn, Uncle Ted, and Derek were walking out. "I'm just saying, Robotnik won't even notice," Shawn was saying. "We just head down there, turn the heat up a few degrees, and leave. Robotnik's always too busy to notice,"
"Unless something blows up in the basement again, I doubt he'll spare any heat," Derek scoffed.
"Maybe we can reason with him, too." Uncle Ted replied.
"We'll see." Shawn replied, as they entered the elevator.
"Hold the elevator!" came a shout, and in stormed Robotnik, mumbling as he pushed the button. "…stupid Cooper, keeping all those gears to himself…"
"Well, if it isn't the Grinch who froze Christmas," Derek sneered.
"Oh, shut up! If you don't like the cold, put on a sweater!"
"You know, Robotnik, you should really think about how you take care of this building," Shawn told him. "You never know when something could go wrong- not just for us, but for you as well."
"Ha! I maintain this building just fine! There's no problems that don't get past me!"
The lights in the elevator flickered just then. "What the…?" Uncle Ted gasped.
*Bzzzt!*
*KA-CHUNK!*
The power suddenly went out!
And the elevator was stuck between floors!
"Oh…. GREAT!" Derek yelled.
Robotnik looked, seeing the teen giving him a glare. "Don't blame this on me! How is it MY fault that the power went out?!"
"Probably the blizzard, the temperature's really dropping tonight. All that ice must have froze the powerlines and made something snap," Shawn said. "It often happens,"
"So, we're stuck in here?!" Uncle Ted gasped.
"Great, just how I wanted to spend Christmas…" Derek muttered.
"Everyone, just stay calm. Robotnik, call up your handymen and see if they can fix this," Shawn said.
"What do you think I'm on my phone, for?" Robotnik scoffed, having his cell-phone out. "Jasper! The power's out- see if you can fix the fuse-box. …I'm stuck in the elevator! Hurry up, or you can spend Christmas in the snow-bank!" he then hung up. The others looked at him. "Oh, don't give me that look! We'll be out in no time!"
d~b
"The boss is stuck in the elevator!" Jasper told the others.
"What do we do?" Horace asked.
"Well, he said we should try to get the power back on,"
Scratch opened the fuse-box. "There's nothing wrong with the fuses, a power-line must have snapped!" he said. "Someone will have to go out and fix it!"
"It's a blooming blizzard out there! I'm not going out!" Horace replied.
"I'm not going out either!" Grounder added.
"I'm not taking any chances in that freezing weather," Jasper scoffed.
"Well, I'm not going out either!" Scratch answered.
They all stood there for a while.
"So… should we get the boss out of the elevator?" Horace asked.
"Yeah… though if we do, he'll probably send us all out in the cold." Grounder replied.
They all looked at each other.
"…We can rescue him AFTER the snow's stopped." Jasper said.
"Who wants eggnog?" Scratch exclaimed, and the lackeys cheered.
d~b
In Shaggy, Pugsy, and Flip's apartment, it was pitch-black due to the power out. "Augh! Something's got me! Help!" Shaggy was screaming.
Hurriedly, Flip found a candle and lit it, illuminating the room a bit… and showing Zippy clinging on to Shaggy with a freaked-out expression. "ZIP. Let the coward go…" Pugsy coaxed her.
"What's with you? Scared of the dark or something?" Shaggy asked Zippy.
"Yes." Zippy replied quickly.
Shaggy blinked. "Well, that makes two of us,"
"So, now it's cold AND dark… what do we do?" Flip asked.
Pugsy walked over to the closet, grabbing some extra blankets. "Bundle up and hope the power comes back on quick," he said.
"I've got a generator and electric-heater at my place, I could bring them over." Zippy said.
"Thanks, ZIP," Shaggy replied.
"Why don't we just head over to your place?" Flip asked. "That way you don't have to haul so much,"
"Hey, it's no problem! …Besides, I haven't wrapped your guys' presents yet, and I don't want anyone peeking. Be right back!" With that, Zippy walked out the door. "Hey, see, I can use the front door when I have to!" she then walked over to her apartment.
The guys looked at each other, shrugged, then wrapped up in their blankets.
d~b
Back in the elevator, Robotnik was getting impatient. "What is taking those nimrods so long?!" he griped.
"Chill, Robotnik. They're probably looking into the problem now," Uncle Ted said. "I'm sure they'll get here in two shakes of a reindeer's tail!"
"Any more Christmas-based lines from you, and your stocking's not the only thing that's going to get stuffed!"
"Hey, you can't talk to my uncle like that!" Derek snapped. "Only I can!"
"Mind your own business, you runt!" Robotnik turned to Derek, fists clenched.
Derek rolled up his sleeves. "You want to make something of it, dork?!"
"Okay, that's enough!" Shawn said loudly, stepping between them. "Look, fighting isn't going to make the situation any better-"
"Sure it will! I'll just shove my fist in his throat and shut him up!"
"Try it and you'll be joining the choir invisible!" Robotnik snarled.
"Hey, don't threaten my nephew!" Uncle Ted snapped, stepping in front of Robotnik.
"I can pick my own fights, Uncle Ted!" Derek sneered, moving around his uncle, though Ted only held him back. "Let me at him!"
"Bring it, small fry!" Robotnik snarled.
"Hey, hey, HEY!" Shawn shouted, getting between everyone and shoving them away from each other. "Now listen up, and listen good! As long as we're in here, we might as well ATTEMPT to keep peace! Each of you, go sit in a corner!"
The others looked at each other, but did as Shawn said, picking a corner and putting some distance between each other.
"Good. Now, lets just keep calm, and hopefully the power will come back on. I'm sure Horace and Jasper are working on it with Scratch and Grounder right now."
d~b
Down in the lobby, the lackeys had lit some candles, and were drinking eggnog, while watching National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation on a laptop. Currently they were at the part where Clark Griswald opened the attic-door and got hit in the face with a ladder, and they all busted out laughing. "Oy, this is great!" Jasper laughed.
"Pass the figgy pudding, will ya?" Grounder asked.
d~b
With Shaggy, Pugsy, and Flip, they were sitting by the heater Zippy had plugged into the generator, as well as the television, and an electric tea-kettle they used to make hot-chocolate with. "Hey, maybe we should see if Shawn K. and Uncle Ted want to come over," Shaggy said.
"And have Derek over here?" Flip groaned.
"Flip, it's the holidays," Pugsy told him.
"Besides, if the bully can't call a truce during this time of sacredness, he can sit in the snow," Zippy added, wearing a Santa hat while sipping her cocoa.
"I'll go invite them over," Shaggy said, standing up and exiting the apartment.
"So… what all were you guys doing for Christmas?" Zippy asked.
"I was going to be with my family, but the roads were too hazardous," Flip said with a sigh.
"Same with my friends. …So, we're just going to be hanging out together," Pugsy added. "What about you, ZIP?"
Zippy shrugged. "Well, Vincent was going to be late tonight, so I was just decorating, watching Christmas specials, wrapping presents… And tomorrow, we were going to spend Christmas with Sam and Max- until the commissioner called them for an important assignment two hours ago, so it's just going to be us."
"Why don't you both come over tomorrow, then?" Flip asked. "Since we're all snowed in, we can all have Christmas together. Right, Pugs?"
Pugsy shrugged. "Sure,"
"Aw, thanks guys." Zippy replied.
Shaggy came back in. "No one's home," he said.
"What? Where could they have gone in this weather?" Flip asked.
"I'll call Shawn, hopefully they're not stranded anywhere." Pugsy replied, taking out his cell-phone and calling up Shawn. "Hey, Shawn, it's Pugs. Where are you guys at?"
Inside the elevator, Shawn turned to the others. "Hey, I got Pugs on the line! Maybe he can help!" he said to them, then went back to the phone. "Pugs! We're in the elevator! The power's out!"
Unfortunately, the reception wasn't any good, so all that went through was. "…We're… out…!"
"Out? Out where? It's freezifying!" Pugsy answered. "Are you stuck in the snow?"
"No, we're not out! We need help! We're stuck!" Shawn said… though all that was heard was, "No, we're not… stuck…!"
"Oh, well… we were wondering if you'd like to come over. But if you're out, maybe we can meet up tomorrow,"
"No… we… elevator!"
Pugsy arched an eyebrow, then looked at his cell-phone. "Sorry, Shawn, I didn't catch that. I think you're breaking up,"
"I said we're stuck in the elevator-" Shawn said… but his phone died. "Ah… crud!"
Pugsy looked at his phone, after the line went dead. "Huh, he hung up on me!" he said.
"Must've had bad reception," Zippy said with a shrug.
"Hopefully they'll get home soon," Shaggy said.
"He said something about the elevator, too." Pugsy added. "I wonder what he was trying to tell us?"
d~b
"So much for a reprieve," Derek muttered. "Now what?!"
"Now we just lie here and starve to death," Robotnik sneered.
"Don't worry, guys. Someone's sure to get us out…" Shawn began to say.
"Dang it, Shawn! You've been saying that for the last 20 minutes!" Derek snapped. "And nothing's happened!"
"Hey, miracles don't happen in a day, Derek. Just be patient," Uncle Ted said.
"How can you be so positive?!" Robotnik questioned. "We're stuck in an elevator, the power's out, my lackeys are probably too stupid to figure out how the flashlight works, and it's so cold I can see my breath!"
"Well, that last part is your fault for not turning up the heat, Mr. Scrooge,"
"Don't blame this on me! All was going well, until those two idiots, Shaggy and Pugsy, came down here and wrecked everything!"
"Shag and Pugs? What did they do?" Shawn questioned.
"They stumbled into the basement and wrecked my machine! All my hard work, RUINED! …Granted, my lackeys were the ones who built it, but you know how much yelling I had to do to make sure they did it right? …Fortunately, I'll be rid of them, since their rent has increased."
"What?! You raised their rent all because they accidentally broke your machine?" Uncle Ted questioned.
"Ha! Serves 'em right!" Derek laughed. (Shawn swatted him upside the head).
"I thought I made it clear that you couldn't do that, unless they broke it intentionally!" Shawn stated.
"You said I couldn't just kick it out- you said nothing about me raising their rent to pay off the damages!" Robotnik retorted. "That machine alone cost me $2,000!"
"So… you spend two-grand on a machine- that, if I can guess correctly due to recent events, would have broken anyway- but you think we can't afford a little heat in this building?" Shawn crossed his arms. "Exactly, what kind of machine did you have?"
"Whatever kind it was, I'm sure Shag and Pugs would have been willing to repair it for you!" Uncle Ted added.
"And risk THEM blowing up my lab? I suppose next you'd want me to let Zippy work on the furnace!"
"…least she'd heat the building," Derek scoffed.
"I just can't believe you could be so heartless- well, actually I can, but… how can you be?" Shawn asked Robotnik. "Especially on Christmas Eve!"
"Good gravy, why is everyone making a big deal about this holiday?!" Robotnik sneered. "Not everyone celebrates it, you know! All the gift-giving, the singing, the decorations- what IS it with you people?!"
"It's not just about that, Robotnik, and you know it. …Is there a reason why you're such a grouch?"
"Do I honestly need a reason?!"
"Might as well list a few, we may be in here a while." Uncle Ted replied.
Robotnik only grumbled to himself. "Might as well tell them, otherwise they'll never shut up," Derek told him.
"Robotnik's not the only one with a sour mood, Derek. I want to know the real reason why you're acting more like a jerk than usual." Shawn added.
Derek gawked.
"Well, go on, boy. Otherwise they'll never shut up, right?" Robotnik said coyly, earning a glare from Derek.
"Fine…" Derek sneered.
"Alright. Robotnik, you start." Shawn said.
"Yes, yes, let me think… I believe it all started when I was nine." Robotnik began.
"Dear lord, we're going to be here all night…" Derek muttered.
"Shush!" Uncle Ted whispered to him.
"I had written to Santa, asking for a GI Joe Action-Tank, having STRAINED myself to being good so I could get one! …That Christmas morning, all I got were socks!" Robotnik continued. "At first I believed I wasn't good enough, perhaps he caught me throwing that snowball at my neighbor. So the next year, I asked for a Lockdown action figure with the gun-face features… what did I get? Underwear! Pretty soon, I saw a pattern- it didn't matter how good I was or how bad I was, Santa wouldn't bring me anything… heck, my own parents barely got me anything, always giving the best stuff to my older brother…!"
~2 hours later…~
"But my junior year in college really broke my Christmas spirit!" Robotnik was sobbing now. "I received a message from my crush, Lucinda, to meet under the mistletoe at our dorm's party… but when I got there, it all turned out to be a cruel prank set up by the seniors! Soon all the years of lacking presents, getting shocked by the tree-lights, and having my stocking unravel finally caught up to me, and I vowed to never celebrate Christmas again!"
"Yikes, and every Christmas was like that?" Uncle Ted asked.
"Oh, it wasn't just Christmas, my dear man. Every day of my life was filled with neglect!"
"You want neglect? Try growing up with an older sister AND three younger brothers!" Derek scoffed.
"Alright, Derek's time to vent." Shawn sighed.
"You think Christmas was hard with just one brother? Try being in my family- one Christmas, our whole tree caught fire, and the only present that survived was Bobby's, and the shrimp gave it away to our cousin! And I gave up on Santa when he wouldn't bring me a Red Rider bee-bee gun…"
~Another Two hours later…~
"…And in second grade, no one wanted to be my Secret Santa! I ended up having to give myself a gift!" Derek was going on.
"Okay, so what I understand is that you both hate Christmas because you've felt neglected, or didn't get the attention you desired," Shawn said. "I think you both missed the point,"
"What point?"
"Christmas isn't about getting attention, or presents, or even decorations. It's about the time you spend with families, how much you do in order to come together with those you care about. Even if you're away from your family, you can still celebrate it with friends."
"Yeah, just look at Shag, Pugs, and Flip- they're celebrating Christmas together, even though they were originally planning on spending it with the rest of their friends and families." Uncle Ted said. "Derek, you and I get to spend it with Shawn, even if we couldn't get to our own family. And Robotnik… heck, I'll bet your lackeys would like to spend it with you, if you were willing to let them!"
"And even if we're stuck in the elevator… well, at least we're okay, and have each other for company." Shawn added.
"Yeah… I guess…" Derek mumbled.
"I suppose it COULD be worse…" Robotnik groused, then looked at his watch. "What the heck is taking those lackeys so long?!"
d~b
With the lackeys, they were still in the lobby, now watching every Ranken-Bass Christmas special… somehow ending up in a debate on which was best. "Rudolph!" Grounder said, firmly.
"Frosty!" Horace answered, sternly.
"Heat Mizer!" Jasper sneered.
"Snow Mizer!" Scratch argued.
By this time, Shaggy, Pugsy, Flip, and Zippy came down. "Hey, what's the yelling about?" Shaggy asked.
"We're deciding who the best Ranken-Bass character is, outside of Santa." Horace answered.
"…and no one vouched for Jack Frost?" Flip questioned.
The four lackeys paused. "…Forgot about that movie," Jasper said. "Oy, what are you all doing down here? It's almost midnight!"
"Well, that's why we're here. Have you guys seen Shawn, Ted, or Derek anywhere?" Pugsy asked. "We figured they'd be home, and my cell-phone isn't getting enough reception to reach 'em, for some reason."
"We haven't seen them all night," Scratch answered.
"We've been watching movies," Grounder said, then held up a platter. "Cookie?"
"Thanks!" Shaggy said, taking a cookie. "Like, hey, aren't you guys supposed to be working?"
"Nah, we got a break- considering Robotnik's stuck in the elevator!" Jasper chuckled.
"And you guys just left him in there?!" Flip gasped.
"In our defense, it was either leave him in the elevator for a few hours, or be forced to go out and repair those powerlines!" Horace answered.
"But, the city sends their own maintenance guys to fix those." Pugsy replied.
"Well… he'd still make us work!" Grounder said, defensively.
Zippy stepped up to them. "Excuse me… but isn't this the season where, despite how you feel about anyone, you're supposed to share kindness and compassion towards them? Did God not send His only Son to us on this date in order to bring peace upon us, which we are to share with others regardless how they would treat us?"
The lackeys looked at one another, shifting.
"Plus… it's almost midnight. If Santa knows that you guys left your boss stuck in an elevator for a whole evening, you can kiss your presents goodbye."
That was the zinger. "Hang on, boss! We're coming!" Jasper shouted, and the lackeys ran up the stairs with toolboxes.
Pugsy stood there pondering, when his eyes widened. "Oh my gosh! Shawn and the others! They have to be in the elevator too!" he suddenly realized. "That's why my phone wasn't picking up any reception!"
"Like, oh man, we've gotta get them out!" Shaggy said, and they ran up the stairs.
Flip was behind the desk, setting something underneath, then ran up after them. "Wait up!" he called.
Zippy began to follow, until someone tapped her shoulder. She turned, seeing the Black Alchemist, who whispered in her ear. "Got it," she replied, and followed him up the stairs.
d~b
"Silent night…" Shawn sang.
"Holy night…"Ted joined.
"All is calm…"Derek added.
"All is bright…"Robotnik half-heartedly chimed.
"Round young virgins, mother and child," Shawn sang.
"Holy innocents, tender and mild," Uncle Ted and Derek sang together.
"Sleep in heavenly peace… Sleep in heavenly peace," they all sang together.
"…okay, that was the last Christmas song I could think of. Anyone got any more in mind?" Uncle Ted asked.
*Thud!* came a noise from above.
"Listen! Someone's in the shaft!" Shawn said, standing up and calling. "Hello! Hello! Who's up there?"
"Blimey! Shawn K, you're in there too?" came Jasper's voice.
"Yes! Can you get us out?"
"Hang on! We're going to open the hatch-"
*FWISH!*
"What was that?" Robotnik called.
"Er… the welder sir (Horace, you idiot!)" Jasper replied, sharply.
"I can't help it, Jasper, it's too dark to tell one tool from the other!" Horace weakly replied.
"Great, the hatch is stuck!" Scratch griped.
Everyone groaned.
"How's it going down there?" Pugsy called from up the shaft.
"The hatch is stuck! Horace here handed me the welder instead of the drill!" Jasper called up to him.
"We might have to busterate in. Shag, there should be a sledgehammer in my bedroom closet, we could use that!"
"On it!" Shaggy said with a salute and ran off… then ran back. "Why do you have a sledgehammer in your closet?"
"Just go get it!"
Shaggy raced off.
"Oy, a sledgehammer won't help! There's a pick-axe in the basement, we should use that!" Jasper called.
"I'll try to drill a hole through!" Grounder added, using his own drills to try to get through the steel ceiling, but only ended up dulling the tips. "Aw man…"
"I'll go get the pick-axe. Flip, you stay here," Pugsy said, then ran off.
Flip nodded, looking down the shaft… just in time to see something drop down! "Whoa! Someone else is down there!" he called.
"Who?" The lackeys asked, as it was hard to tell in the dark.
What they didn't know was it was the Black Alchemist, having an extention-cord in his hand which led farther up the shaft, where Zippy had the other end plugged into her generator. She kicked it on, and gave a whistle down to the masked figure. He then used his sonic-screwdriver to open the wiring case in the ceiling, and- after doing some adjustments that only Donatello could figure out- plugged in the cord, generating enough electricity to get the elevator moving upward!
"Whoa! We're moving! We're finally moving!" Derek exclaimed.
The lackeys looked around, only to see the mysterious figure grab on to one of the cables, pulling him upward into the air! Zippy was looking down, though her Santa-hat got caught on the other cable and was pulled off her head, falling down in front of the lackeys, while the Black Alchemist leaped out.
Horace picked up the Santa-hat, then looked up the shaft where the figure had disappeared. "By golly… Santa fixed our elevator!" he gasped.
They lackeys leaped through the open doors, as the elevator came up. Robotnik practically flung himself onto the hall floor, while the others piled out. "It's about time! What took you guys so long?!" Derek demanded.
"The power-lines were out, there wasn't much they could do," Flip answered.
"At least we're finally all out, and safe," Shawn said.
"I got the sledgehammer!" Shaggy called, arriving with a sledgehammer.
"I found the pickaxe!" Pugsy added, showing up next.
Derek blinked, a bit startled. "…you sure about that, Shawn?" he replied.
d~b
After an exciting night, everyone immediately went to bed.
All except Robotnik, who was letting the stress keep him awake as he sat down at his desk. "At least the worst of this is over… ugh, can't believe I poured out my feelings to those weirdoes!" he was muttering to himself. "Like bringing up my neglected childhood would really bring out-"
*thump* His foot hit something just then.
Arching an eyebrow, he reached under, seeing there was a gift left for him! Attached was a card, which he opened to read:
'Merry Christmas, Robotnik!
I know you probably don't care about the holiday, but I decided to get you something anyway, since no one deserves to be left out on Christmas. I hope you like it!
Signed, Flip.'
Robotnik blinked, then looked at the gift, and began to open it- considering it was already midnight, it was practically Christmas already. Tearing away the wrapping paper, he opened a box, only to find a GI Joe Action-Tank! The villain grinned, then held the toy up to examine it. "Incredible… how did he know?" he looked at the card again.
'PS, your lackeys said this was your favorite kind of toy growing up, since I had to ask them. You were really hard to buy for!'
Robotnik set the gift on is desk, smiling a bit. He then shook his head, grunting. "Oh, c'mon! I'm a villain! I'm not going to give in to this sentimental stuff!"
Jasper walked up to him just then. "By the way, boss, we finally finished the machine," he said with a yawn.
"At last!" Robotnik ran down to the basement, where his machine awaited. He then turned on its screen, the satellite on top of it beeping as he scanned the area outside. "Lets see, what should I destroy fir-"
He paused just then, seeing a Nativity Scene come into view. Staring at it, he began to grow lost in thought.
"Uh, boss? You alright?" Scratch asked.
Robotnik blinked, then looked at the toy Flip had given to him. He then stood up… and turned of the machine. "You know… we can use this thing after Christmas," he said. "I believe we all deserve some time off- in fact, you boys can take the day off!"
"Really? …Boss, are you feeling alright?" Horace asked.
"Just take the day off, before I change my mind!"
"Yes boss! Thank you, boss!" Jasper said, and the lackeys quickly left.
Robotnik then took his toy upstairs, grinning happily.
d~b
The next day, Shaggy, Pugsy, Flip, Shawn, Uncle Ted, Derek, Melody, Holly, Zippy, and Vincent sat around the guys' apartment, celebrating Christmas. "Thank God the power came back on this morning," Pugsy said.
"Yeah, spending Christmas Eve in the dark was enough," Zippy chuckled.
"It's just too bad the rest of your friends couldn't make it," Melody sighed.
Shawn smirked. "Oh… don't be so sure," he said, slyly.
Suddenly there was the sound of a helicopter, which seemed to land on the roof! Minutes later, the whole Chan Clan, Generic family, Freddy, Daphne, Velma, Biff, Kim, and Fangs all entered! "Pop! You made it!" Flip exclaimed, running and hugging all his family members. "But… how?"
"Shawn K. made arrangements for us to be picked up," Sue Chan answered.
"Surprise!" Shawn exclaimed. "I knew the weather would be horrible yesterday, so I arranged for everyone to be picked up before the storm, and dropped off this morning!"
"Shawn, you are one awesome dude," Vincent complimented him.
*Knock Knock Knock!*
"Now I wonder who that could be?" Mrs. Generic asked.
Pugsy answered the door, seeing Robotnik standing there. "What do you want?" he sneered.
"I have come to discuss your rent," Robotnik stated firmly.
"Like, man, can't you give us a break? It's Christmas!" Shaggy groaned.
"Quiet, and listen up! As of today, you can consider your rent… decreased!"
"Look, if you're going to talk about how far you jacked up the- wait, what?" Pugsy asked, stunned.
"Yes, well… I took a look at my Manager's Manual, and it turns out that I cannot increase your rent more than $500 a month, $200 for the two of you and the extra $100 for each child you have with you… Therefore, your rent is decreased."
"What about your machine?" Flip asked, surprised.
"The machine is still in good repair, I have my lackeys tending to it now. …Besides, this is the season of giving, not grudges!"
"Well… thanks, Robotnik! Merry Christmas!" Pugsy said, still surprised and wondering if it were all a dream.
"You too, my dear man! Merry Christmas to all of you!" Robotnik began to walk off… then came back. "Don't get used to this 'good will towards others' business, though! I'll be my grouchy self tomorrow!"
Everyone laughed, bidding Robotnik a Merry Christmas, then continuing their celebration.
"Zoinks, talk about a Christmas miracle!" Shaggy said.
"Yeah, I don't know how this could get any better!" Flip exclaimed.
"Oh, Flip…" Holly said sheepishly, pointing up. Hanging above her head, attached to the overhead light, was the mistletoe!
Flip blushed, rubbing the back of his neck as he walked over. Holly giggled, and gave him a kiss on the cheek. His hat shot into the air, before flopping back on his head sideways, as he felt his cheek. "Okay. It got better."
Derek did a double-take, then grabbed the mistletoe and held it over his head. "Hey, Holly! Wait up!" he exclaimed.
Uncle Ted chuckled. "Well, there's ONE way to get that boy into the Christmas spirit," he commented.
d~b
Downstairs, Grounder passed by the machine, carrying a tray of Christmas cookies. One fell off, and he bent over to grab it, bumping into the machine…
*CRASH!*
Which fell apart! Grounder gasped, then picked up a spare piece…
*Poof!*
…and the whole pile of scrap turned to dust. Panicking, he swept up the mess and dumped it into a box, and slapped on a label that read: Do Not Open Until Next Christmas.
d~b
A/N: Merry Christmas! :D