#Sonic Cyber Revolution: Christmas Truce

[tenebraevesper]

Sonic Cyber Revolution: Christmas Truce

''We were all- We were all- We were all- We were all friends! (Yes, we were friends!) And today we're all brothers, tonight we're all friends! A moment of peace in a war that never ends! Today we're all brothers, we drink and unite! Now Christmas has arrived and the snow turns the ground white! A Christmas on the frontline, we walk among our friends! We don't think about tomorrow, the battle will commence! When we celebrated Christmas, we thought about our friends! Those who never made it home, when the battle had commenced!''

– Christmas Truce by Sabaton

xXxXxXx

Sonic sighed, leaning into the pillow with a book in his hands, wearing a red sweater, a cup of hot cocoa on the coffee table next to him. He was lying on the couch in the living room, enjoying the warmth since it was freezing outside. He looked up, glancing at the window and saw the snow falling, forming a fresh layer on the ground.

''Looks like we'll have a white Christmas this year,'' Lucas Kinomoto, a human teenager and Sonic's partner, said. He was sitting on the other end of the couch, also with a book in his hands. Unlike his more adventure-loving partner, he preferred to stay at home, especially during a time like this. It was snowing outside, with an icy wind blowing. However, the weather report did say it would be nicer at Christmas Eve. ''This is going to be great! Especially since my parents are going to return home. I haven't seen them in ages.''

''Any particular plans for the holidays?'' Sonic asked.

''Well, I- Huh?''

Lucas' AR Visor, a pair of goggles around his neck, lit up, indicating that he got a call from someone. He tapped on it, with a holographic screen opening right before him. Normally, he wouldn't be even able to interact with it, but thanks to the AR Visor, he could. Sonic sat up, observing the holographic screen curiously as he recognized the caller ID.

''Hello, Lucas, Sonic! How are you two?'' Harper Kinomoto, Lucas' mother, greeted them. She was accompanied by her husband Shinjiro Kinomoto and from the look if it, they appeared to be in a hotel room.

''Hey, Mum, Dad! I was right about to mention you two,'' Lucas replied.

''We're both fine,'' Sonic added. He had actually met Lucas' parents before, mainly over a call, well aware that the two of them were archeologists who spent most of their time in other countries, exploring ancient sites. Due to their work demand, they were rarely at home, meaning that Lucas lived alone for the most part, at least until he met Sonic. ''What's up?''

''Oh, we were just calling to see how our favorite boys are doing,'' Harper replied, smiling nonchalantly. Shinjiro gave his wife a raised eyebrow.

''I thought you wanted to tell them that- augh!'' Shinjiro flinched when Harper elbowed him in the gut. Lucas' eyes narrowed as his mother feigned an innocent smile.

''Mum, is there something you and Dad want to tell us?'' he asked.

''Uh, well… We kind of have a problem on our end,'' Harper replied, realizing that she wasn't going to sugarcoat this conversation. ''Our plane has been delayed due to a snowstorm, and we won't be able to be at home for Christmas Eve.''

''What about Christmas Day?'' Sonic asked, noting how quiet Lucas got.

''We will be there,'' Shinjiro replied in an assuring tone.

''Lucas, sweetheart, are you okay?'' Harper asked her son.

''Y-Yeah, I'm fine. I mean, it's just one more day,'' Lucas replied, sounding a little sour. ''Hope you guys have a safe flight.''

Harper and Shinjiro were silent for a moment, but then said their good-byes and cancelled the call. Lucas sighed, leaning back.

''You are definitely not upset,'' Sonic told him sarcastically, giving him a knowing look. Lucas just stared ahead.

''Okay, I admit that I am a little disappointed, since I was really looking forward to spending Christmas Eve with my parents, especially since last year, they couldn't even be here,'' he replied, glancing at Sonic.

''I'm sorry about that,'' Sonic told him. Admittedly, he didn't know much about Lucas' life before he came along, but he did understand that Lucas spent a lot of time alone. While he did try to brush it off, it was clear that it really bothered him. ''But, hey, I'm here. I'm sure that we can do something together.''

''Yeah, we can,'' Lucas replied, a little absent-minded, then gave Sonic a curious look. ''Any ideas?''

Sonic fell silent as he thought about it. Admittedly, they had already decorated the Christmas tree, which was currently standing in the corner of the living room, bought gifts and even had some food in the fridge for dinner, so the only thing that was left was to figure out how they'd spend their time. Sonic knew that what Lucas was looking foward to the most was being with his family, but since his family (sans Sonic) wasn't here, he had try something else.

Didn't Lucas say how Christmas should be spent with the ones you care about? Sonic's eyes widened as he realized something.

''Uh, Sonic?'' Lucas voice broke the cobalt hedgehog out of his thought process. ''Have you thought of something already?''

''Not really, but give me a bit more time and I'll figure something out,'' Sonic replied, with Lucas giving him a questioning look. Sonic seriously hoped that Lucas didn't see through his lie, as he wanted to surprise his partner. After all, there was indeed something they could do.

xXx

''I can't believe they had done that!'' Lily Crystle grumbled as she walked back to her room, slamming the door behind her. Knuckles, who was wearing a dark purple sweater and reading a comic book on his bed on the other side of the room, looked up from it, noting just how frustrated Lily was.

''You're talking about your parents, aren't you?'' Knuckles said, getting up just as Lily sat down on her bed, grabbed the pillow and screamed into it. Knuckles made the wise decision to stay away from her and let her scream all her emotions out, before joining her once she lifted her head. Her eyes were tearing and her cheeks were red, and it was clear that she was on the verge of crying, anger clearly displayed on her face.

''Th-They told me I could come along,'' Lily said, feeling a lump in her throat. She looked at the suitcase in the corner of the room, digging her fingers into the pillow in frustration. Knuckles nodded, arms folded across his chest.

This was something he and Lily had been talking about the past few days. Apparently, her parents reserved a spot at a tropical resort, where they wanted to spend Christmas and New Year, and Lily had asked them whether she and Knuckles could come along. They had actually agreed, but this morning, the day they were all supposed to leave, they were nowhere to be found.

''Bennet told me that they left last night. Apparently, 'something came up' and they had to leave early,'' Lily continued, throwing the pillow against the suitcase in anger. ''Yeah, right! If I got it correctly, the call came from one of their friends! Hell, if they wanted a childfree vacation, they could've told me that instead of leaving with that flimsy excuse!''

Lily wanted to scream again, but her voice died somewhere in her chest. Her eyes were stinging and her heart was beating at a rapid pace. She wanted to call her parents and yell at them for leaving her behind, but felt too angry and too drained to do anything. In the end, she took a deep breath and just stared ahead, falling quiet.

''Your parents have hurt you again.'' Lily turned to Knuckles, who was gazing at her with a stern look on his expression. However, she knew it wasn't directed towards her. ''That is unnacceptable.''

''At this point, I feel that I shouldn't be even surprised anymore,'' Lily admitted tiredly. ''I just want to go to sleep. Whatever Christmas spirit I had this year, I lost it now.''

''How do you lose a Christmas spirit?'' Knuckles gave her a confused look, tilting his head. At first, he imagined the Christmas spirit to be like a bedsheet ghost, until he realized a moment later that this wasn't supposed to be taken literally. He shook his head. ''Never mind, the more important question is how to regain it?''

''What do you mean?'' Lily asked.

''You are not someone to give up easily after a setback,'' Knuckles pointed out.

''I know, but it's annoying that every year, they abandon me here, and the one time I'm allowed to go along with them, they ditch me,'' Lily replied, still angry, but then sighed. ''You know what, I think I just need some time for myself to just process this.''

''Do you need another pillow?'' Knuckles asked. Lily snorted, getting up and picking the one she threw.

''Thank you, but no. I think I'll just hit the gym. Do you want to join?'' Lily replied. Knuckles nodded, following her downstairs.

Admittedly, while he was pleased that Lily was trying to bounce back from this situation, he did feel that she was owed compensation. After all, who leaves their own daughter behind, making a promise and then callously breaking it. This kind of behavior made his blood boil, even though he had to note that it wasn't anything new. However, as Lily's self-proclaimed Guardian, he felt that he needed to do something to make her feel better.

The loss of the Christmas spirit… Knuckles mused over what Lily had told him. He understood that it was just a metaphor, but he also felt that if something was lost, it should be also found. However, the question was: how? How was he supposed to find Lily's lost Christmas spirit? Not to mention, what exactly was a Christmas spirit? Knuckles understood that it had something to do with Christmas itself and all the things one would do around that time, but his knowledge regarding the holiday was still scarce.

Fortunately, he knew just the right team to help him.

xXx

Silver, who was wearing a golden sweater with a vine pattern, sighed as he stared through the window at the snowstorm outside. He was in his and Makoto's room, feeling a little dejected.

''Do you guys have an idea when it's going to stop snowing?'' he asked, turning around to his partner, Makoto Ryle, and his two friends, Amy Rose and Minami Kusakabe, who were all sitting on the carpet playing UNO. ''Or, when the snow is going to thaw?''

''It is the end of December. I'd say that we still have 2 to 3 months of cold and snow,'' Makoto answered.

''Maybe not even that. I remember how a few years ago, we actually had snow in May,'' Minami added.

''Really?'' Amy gave her a stunned look. Similarly to Silver, she was wearing her winterwear, although hers consisted of a rose parka-dress with a pink collar and two dark pink drawstrings hanging from it, with white pom-poms decorating them at the ends; black tights, white wrist-length gloves with pink cuffs at the wrists with a single rose stripe in the middle, and rose and white-zipped boots with yellow detailing and pink and rose cuffs.

''Yeah, it was kinda crazy,'' Minami replied.

''I'm not really a big fan of snow,'' Silver said as he joined them, sitting next to Makoto. ''Even if this is my first time experiencing it.''

''Let me guess, you don't like the cold,'' Minami said, placing down her card. Amy glared at her, as she was forced to pull four more cards.

''It's not just the cold, but the fact that there is a significant lack of plantlife,'' Silver replied. ''Everything's barren and buried under a layer of icy water.''

''Maybe, but come spring, everything will be green again,'' Amy replied, trying to cheer Silver up.

''Besides, the plants need the snow layer. It acts as an insulator to protect plants from severe cold and dry winter winds. It also adds nutrients to the soil and hydrates your gardens as it melts in the spring,'' Makoto explained.

''I didn't know that,'' Silver said, a little baffled. He then smiled. ''If that's so, then snow is actually a good thing.''

''Unless you live at a place where it snows perpetually and temperatures are constantly below zero. Kudos to people who managed to adapt, but I couldn't imagine living there,'' Minami said, rising an eyebrow when Amy managed to play most of her cards, giving her older sister figure a smug grin.

''Speaking of plants, have you heard of the mistletoe?'' Amy asked, her question directed towards Silver. Silver's eyes immediately lit up.

''Oh, I know about that one. It is kind of hard not too considering how there is one hanging at Eden,'' Silver said. ''I still don't understand why people are supposed to kiss under it.''

''Honestly, I have no clue why, but from what I've heard, it is a long tradition and refusing a kiss will bring bad luck,'' Amy noted. Minami grinned slyly.

''I've been wondering…'' Amy, Silver and Makoto immediately looked at her with alarmed looks. ''Wouldn't it be fun to sneak up on couples while holding a mistletoe above their heads?''

Minami's smile turned into a frown when she saw the unamused looks her friends were giving her.

''Makoto was right. You really are a menace to society,'' Silver said. Minami puffed her chest up.

''I'm a menace and proud of it,'' she replied, with Amy just sighing at her partner's antics.

xXx

''…and I remember that we also threw firecrackers during Christmas and New Year,'' Kisaki Kageura said excitedly as she prepared two cups of hot chocolate. ''Would you two also being interested in it? That is, as long as you are careful with them. I already got a kid who burned himself while playing with firecrackers, and last year, someone lost two fingers.''

''I don't think we're going to play with those,'' Touka Kageura, Kisaki's adopted daughter, replied.

''Hmph, you're not afraid of using Chaos powers, but you don't want to touch firecrackers,'' Shadow, who was sitting on the couch next to Touka and eating chocolate-covered coffee beans, remarked. Touka furrowed a brow when her younger brother gave her a smug grin.

''At least I'm experienced with Chaos powers,'' Touka grumbled. Kisaki walked over to her, handing her the cup of hot chocolate.

''Rest assured, I'm sure we all are going to have a lot of fun,'' Kisaki said, only for her AR Visor, her glasses, to flash. ''What the-''

Touka and Shadow exchanged glances as they watched Kisaki walk away, with her talking to someone over the holographic screen, followed by a loud, ''Wait, are you serious?!'', only to walk back, looking dejected. ''Why did they have to schedule me right on Christmas Eve?''

''What happened?'' Touka asked.

''My co-worker, who was supposed to take tomorrow's shift, slipped on ice and injured her leg,'' Kisaki explained. ''Now, they want me to pull a double shift. I won't be free until tomorrow evening.''

''Sounds like you don't have much of a choice,'' Shadow commented on it. Kisaki sighed.

''I was really looking forward to doing all of these activities with you. After all, this is our first Christmas as a family,'' she said. ''I guess we'll also have to order take out for dinner. Not how I imagined things would go.''

''Kisaki, it's not a big deal, honestly. I'm sorry that we cannot spend time together, but Shadow and I don't mind…'' Touka started, but Kisaki shook her head.

''No, you two deserve to have some fun for the holidays, especially after everything that happened,'' Kisaki replied, then pouted as she went silent for a bit. ''Maybe I could organize a party for New Year's Eve and you can invite all of your friends…''

''No offense, but I'm not a fan of big parties,'' Shadow replied, his eyes narrowing. Kisaki gave him a sheepish smile.

''Right, sorry…'' She looked at the clock in the kitchen. ''I have to get myself ready.''

She walked into the hallway and then upstairs, with Touka and Shadow exchanging conspiratorial glances, before resuming watching TV. A few minutes later, Kisaki returned.

''I have to go now. Good-bye, you two! Don't get yourself into trouble,'' she said. Touka puffed up her cheeks, pouting.

''When did we get ourselves into trouble?'' she asked. Kisaki gave her a pointed look. ''Okay, when did we get ourselves into trouble and it didn't involve Eggman attacking Neos City?''

''Or the government trying to track us down?'' Shadow added. Kisaki sighed.

''Just be safe. Bye!'' she replied, walking out. The moment the door closed, Touka walked up to the window and saw that the car was gone from the driveway.

''Did she leave?'' Shadow asked. Touka turned back to him, nodding.

''Yeah. Did she mention anything else that wasn't on our list?'' Touka asked, walking back to her partner, leaning against the couch and looking over.

''I don't think so,'' Shadow replied, tapping at his AR Visor and looking at the holographic screen before him. It was a list of activities Kisaki kept constantly mentioning she wanted to do for Christmas, something which both payed close attention to, despite their disinterested gazes. He glanced at Touka. ''Should we put Omega on firecracker duty?''

''Omega? Seriously Shadow?'' Touka asked in a deadpan tone.

Shadow snorted, sporting a mischievous grin. The ebony hedgehog knew well that his robotic friend would just toss out the firecrackers and use his own rockets for the fireworks. ''Maybe we should forego the firecrackers.''

Touka hummed thoughtfully, observing the list in Shadow's hands. ''I guess we can think about it later. We still need to buy groceries for dinner, then get the Christmas tree inside and decorate it, and do all of that before Kisaki returns from work tomorrow evening. Good thing she decided to buy it yesterday. Considering how many times she had been called to work, I'm not surprised that she'd also be busy during Christmas.''

''We'll have to give Rouge and Omega a call about this, but I don't think there will be any change in our plans,'' Shadow added, closing the holographic screen. He then gave Touka a curious look. ''Do you really think Kisaki wouldn't mind if we go ahead and just do everything by ourselves?''

''Considering how she was constantly talking about wanting us to experience a normal life… I think she'd be happy to see us enjoy ourselves for once,'' Touka replied.

xXx

''Christmas, Christmas, Christmas… It's all I have been hearing about these past days,'' Dr. Eggman grumbled as he stared at the monitor before him, watching the news report covered by Midorikawa and Kero. ''These people are obsessed.''

''Maybe that's because they consider it an important holiday,'' Orbot said.

"Yeah, they're calling it the most important time of the year," Cubot added. Eggman just scowled.

"Ha, once I conquer Starpoint Area, they will have a new holiday to celebrate,'' he said.

''What kind of holiday?'' Cubot asked.

''Obviously one that is all about me!'' Eggman responded. ''Eggman Day sounds much grander than Christmas.''

"Indeed it does,'' Orbot said, although it was hard to say from his tone of voice whether he was being sarcastic.

"However, until that happens, you will have to deal with the fact that it's Christmas."

Eggman, Orbot and Cubot looked up, seeing Ferra and Metal Sonic standing at the entrance to the room. Eggman scoffed, waving her off.

"It doesn't matter. Fortunately, I have made plans for tomorrow. Considering how everyone is being busy, wrapped all up in their pathetic Christmas celebration, including that blasted blue rat and his friends, it would be a prime opportunity to launch an attack," he said.

"You'll have to launch that attack without me and Metal present. We're on vacation," Ferra replied.

''What? Don't make me laugh, you can't go on a vacation,'' Eggman replied, only for Ferra to tap on her AR Visor, causing a holographic screen to appear before her.

"Actually, my contract says that I'm entitled to a vacation as the 'Intern' at the Tamago Corporation, which also includes my and Metal's work as your Enforcers," Ferra answered, walking over to Eggman and showing him the digital copy of the contract. Eggman grabbed it, skimming it over. "Don't worry, we'll be back after Christmas."

"What do you even plan to do with your free time? You said several times that your family doesn't care about you," Eggman noted, still a little bitter.

"Yeah, but Metal does," Ferra replied, with Metal Sonic nodding. "I'm sure it would be interesting to watch you conquer the world, but we already have plans of our own." She turned on her heel, walking out of the room, with Metal following her. "Merry Christmas, Doctor!"

Eggman scoffed as he sunk back in his seat. Admittedly, he had been hoping to rely on Ferra and Metal for this attack, but it seemed that he'd have to do everything on his own. Not perfect, but he could manage it.

"What is even so important about Christmas?" he grumbled.

"Maybe the sense of family?" Orbot suggested.

"Oh, or the presents?" Cubot quickly added.

"I was being rethorical, you buffoons!" Eggman growled, with the two robots wincing. Eggman turned his gaze back to the monitors, scowling. "I will make sure that this will be a Christmas no one will ever forget!"

xXx

''I'm going for a run,'' Sonic told Lucas the next day after breakfast, stretching his arms to warm up. ''You know, maybe we could go later out for a walk. Won't there be some kind celebration in Sentoraru?''

''I guess we could,'' Lucas replied, trying to smile, but he was clearly still bothered by the call. Sonic just waved back and quickly ran out of the house, taking a specific route.

Unlike the previous day, this one was crisp and devoid of any clouds. It was perfect. However, Sonic knew that, even though it was perfect, he still had to be careful. Only because he was the Fastest Thing Alive, he still wasn't exempt from the rules of physics, even if he tried to break them frequently with his supersonic antics. He knew that, the moment he lost traction, he was done for.

Fortunately, his little trip wasn't only fast, but also safe, his destination being the Taylor household. He ran up to the Taylor Workshop that was next to the house, knocking on it, but there was no answer. A quick glance through the window showed that his friend and little brother weren't inside. Sonic then ran up to the front door, knocking on it, until a woman opened it.

''Oh, hello Sonic!'' Joanne Taylor greeted the cobalt hedgehog.

''Yo, Jo! Are Tails and Warren at home?'' Sonic asked.

''Yeah, they're in their room. Come in,'' Joanne replied, with Sonic walking inside, rushing towards the room Warren and Tails shared and knocking on the door. Warren opened the door, a little surprised to see the cobalt hedgehog.

''Hey, Sonic, what are you doing here?'' Warren asked, with Tails looking up at Sonic, appearing to be excited to see him. Just like Sonic, he was wearing a sweater, albeit a light blue one.

''I'm here because I have a request,'' Sonic said, entering the room. His gaze fell on the fairy lights on the floor attached to some kind of device. ''What's up with that?''

''We were experimenting with the fairy lights,'' Tails explained. ''I had figured that we could try to make then turn on and flicker in patterns via a sound-based command, like clapping your hands. Then Warren suggested that we should make them flash to music.''

''That's so cool!'' Sonic was in awe, with Tails puffing up his chest with pride. ''May I try it out?''

''We're not done yet, though,'' Tails replied. ''Besides, didn't you say that you have a request?''

''Oh, right,'' Sonic gave them a sheepish smile as he remembered why he was here. ''Lucas' parents called and told us their flight was delayed due to a snowstorm, so we'll be on our own during Christmas Eve. I wanted to ask you whether you'd be cool with us spending Christmas Eve with you.''

''Of course you can. I'll just tell Mum to add two more plates to the dinner table,'' Warren said. ''I'm surprised that Lucas didn't call.''

''Actually, I hadn't told him about this,'' Sonic replied. ''It's supposed to be a surprise.''

''Still, why wouldn't he call?'' Tails asked, giving Warren a curious look.

''This isn't really the first time it happened. Last year, they couldn't make it and he was on his own the whole week. I told him he could've stayed with me, but he said that he didn't want to inconvenience anyone,'' Warren explained.

''I see,'' Tails muttered.

''I guess I really need to work harder getting him out of the house,'' Sonic noted. ''Anyways, thanks for allowing us to stay.''

''Well, Christmas is about spending time with the ones you're close to, and not only are Lucas and I childhood friends, but you also practically adopted Tails as your little brother, so we're kinda family in that way,'' Warren pointed out. Sonic and Tails exchanged glances, grinning at each other.

''I gotta go now,'' Sonic said, going towards the door. ''Just text me the time and we'll drop by.''

Before either Tails or Warren could respond, Sonic was already gone in a flash of blue.

xXx

Knuckles walked down the street in Westoru, eventually reaching a small, somewhat derelict building with a sign above the entrance, reading ''CHAOTIX DETECTIVE AGENCY''. He knocked on the door, entering it.

''Hello!'' Knuckles was met by the gazes of a trio of detectives, all in rather amusing poses. Charmy was wrapped in tinsel and being chased around by Vector, while Espio was trying to remove the Christmas bulb that was hanging from his horn, apparently placed by Charmy. Knuckles spotted a tiny half-decorated Christmas tree in the corner. ''Do you need help?''

''Thanks for the offer Knuckles, but we got everything under control,'' Vector said, trying to reach for Charmy, who just blew a raspberry at him. ''Uh, why are you here? Did you come to wish us Merry Christmas or…?''

''I actually have an assignment for you,'' Knuckles said. Everyone's attention was now on him, with Vector having also managed to grab Charmy and unwrap the tinsel. ''I need you to help me restore Lily's Christmas spirit.''

Vector, Espio and Charmy gave Knuckles a confused look.

"Restore Lily's Christmas spirit… What exactly do you mean by that?" Vector asked.

"Lily has been very disappointed due to her parents abandoning her in her time of need. She has told me that this led to her losing her Christmas spirit, so I decided to go on a quest to restore it. However, since my knowledge of the Christmas holiday is still lacking, I had been hoping that the best detectives in Starpoint Area would be able to help me," Knuckles explained. Vector and Espio frowned, while Charmy's gaze was that of pity.

"Could you explain to us how exactly they had abandoned Lily?" Espio asked.

"They had promised they would take her on a vacation and then left without her. They broke her heart," Knuckles explained.

"That's so mean!" Charmy exclaimed angrily, flailing his arms. Knuckles nodded in agreement, his arms folded across his chest.

"Can I count on your aid?" he asked. Team Chaotix exchanged glances, then nodded.

"Of course you can count on us. We will take any case, no matter how difficult," Vector said. "Our first step would be to visit Lily and actually ask her what she wants to do."

"I already asked her how she felt about the whole situation, and she said that she just wanted some privacy to process everything," Knuckles explained.

"Perhaps, another questioning is in order. We should also get Lily's opinion on this before we proceed," Vector replied. Knuckles nodded, following the Chaotix outside. After all, they were the experts.

xXx

''I think we have now everything we need,'' Touka said, her and Shadow walking down Sentoraru. Both were holding bags filled with groceries they needed for the dinner. They had also managed to contact Rouge and Omega earlier. ''Rouge and I will be preparing dinner, while you and Omega are in charge of the decorations.''

''You still won't let me into the kitchen,'' Shadow replied in a deadpan tone, giving her a side-eye.

''Only while you're supervised,'' Touka replied, furrowing a brow, while Shadow rolled his eyes. ''I still haven't forgotten how you decided to dump a cup of pepper into that stew because you thought it lacked flavour.''

''Don't remind me of that,'' Shadow grumbled. Admittedly, he wasn't a complete disaster in the kitchen, having learned how to make simple dishes or just handle ready-made meals on his own. But, when it came to somehing more complicated than fried eggs, he would take a more experimental approach, which usually resulted in the food being inedible. He sighed. ''I guess you're right.''

''I'm sure that we can work on that later,'' Touka replied, then smiled. ''I can't wait to see Kisaki's face when she sees the surprise.''

Shadow was about to reply when he suddenly felt something hitting the back of his head, realizing a moment later that it was a snowball. He frowned, looking around angrily, only to see a familiar cobalt hedgehog waving at him, grinning mischievously.

''Sonic…'' he growled. Before Touka could even ask him anything, Shadow dropped the bag and quickly zipped after his rival. Seeing the ebony hedgehog going after him, Sonic quickly ran, with the two vanishing into the crowd.

Meanwhile, Touka just sighed, feeling exasperated. ''It is really on sight between these two.''

She picked up the bag Shadow dropped, noting how during the past few months, Shadow and Sonic developed this kind of dynamic where they would just challenge each other, either meeting up for a sparring match or just have a race. Touka figured that instead of waiting for Shadow to return, she should go home and get started with the dinner, since this might take a while.

As for the two hedgehogs in question, Sonic had a bit of difficulty running through the snow, making sure that he wouldn't slip and run into someone, while Shadow had no such problems thanks to his air shoes, managing to catch up with him.

''What was that for?'' Shadow asked Sonic as the two ran through Sentoraru.

''I had figured that this would be the most fun way to get your attention,'' Sonic replied, spotting a goofy grin. ''And it worked!''

Shadow just frowned harder, although he had to admit that he wasn't as irritated. Both of them looked forwards, realizing they were coming across another crowd of people at a traffic stop. While Sonic just ran through it, weaving between both humans and ARNavs, while Shadow just used his warping powers to teleport ahead of Sonic.

''Hey, not fair, Shadow! You can't just warp away!'' Sonic protested once he managed to catch up with Shadow.

''You were the one who challenged me. I will be the one to end it,'' Shadow replied, smirking.

''Only in your dreams!'' Sonic taunted him, noting direction they were going. ''How about a race towards Heizeru Park?''

''Do you really believe you can outrun me with all that snow and ice in your way?'' Shadow asked him, rising an eyebrow.

''There's only way to find out!'' Sonic replied, speeding up. Shadow's eyes narrowed as he followed the Blue Blur. He was being genuinely curious about how Sonic would handle it, not challenging the latter.

Both turned around several corners, eventually reaching Heizeru Park which had a clearing with a pond in the middle, which was currently covered in a thin layer of ice and snow. During their race, Shadow managed to gain an edge over Sonic and after spotting the pond, he got an idea. He skated right across the pond, figuring that Sonic would stop due to the his inability to swim and the fact that the icy surface was less than ideal for running.

''I won't- woaaaghh!''

Unfortunately, Shadow underestimated Sonic's decision-making skills, as the cobalt hedgehog ran right across the pond, causing the ice to crack and fall apart. He slipped, somehow managing to get across the pond and slamming right into a tree headfirst, before falling on his back.

''Sonic?'' Shadow skated up to him, a tone of concern in his voice as he looked down at his rival. ''Are you okay?''

Sonic sat up, shaking the snow out of his quills and gave Shadow a sly grin. ''Did I win?''

''No, you dumbass, you ran into a tree! The most you got is a concussion,'' Shadow growled back, helping Sonic up. Whatever sense of worry he had vanished the moment Sonic showed that he was completely fine. ''Why did you even run across the pond? You could've just gone around it.''

''I had figured I could make it regardless,'' Sonic replied, rubbing his nose. ''How about we call it a tie?''

Shadow just sighed. He knew Sonic long enough to get used to his antics, but his rival surprised him over and over again. Shaking his head, he walked away, before briefly turning his head towards Sonic. ''Are you coming along?''

''Sure,'' Sonic said, quickly joining the latter. ''So, what were you and Touka doing at the city?''

''Grocery shopping. I still need to go home help her,'' Shadow answered. ''What about you?''

''Lucas' parents won't be able to get home today, so I went to Tails and Warren and asked them whether they would be fine with Lucas and I joining them,'' Sonic replied, placing his hands behind his quills. ''I had figured it would be better if we spend Christmas Eve with friends than on our own. I'm surprised we didn't arrange anything with the rest of the team."

"That's probably because everyone has plans of their own," Shadow replied.

"We could all meet up tomorrow," Sonic suggested. Shadow was silent, pondering for a moment about it, only to get startled by Sonic's next question. "Hey, is that Amy? And Minami is also there! Com'n, let's go!"

Before Shadow could reply, Sonic already dashed towards the café across the street, with the ebony hedgehog following him.

"Hey guys!"

"Sonic, Shadow, nice to see you!" Amy said after spotting the two. She and Minami had been chatting, having a cup of hot chocolate before them. "Do you want to join us?"

"Actually, we were both on our way home, but we saw you and decided to say 'Hi'," Sonic replied.

"If you didn't throw that snowball, I would've already been at home," Shadow grumbled.

"A snowball?" Amy said in a flat tone, rising an eyebrow. "Did you really get into a fight over a snowball?"

"It was a challenge," Shadow added.

"Yeah, it was a challenge and a race, not a fight," Sonic said when Amy and Minami gave the two a look that screamed 'Seriously?'. Sonic shrugged, smiling sheepishly, while Shadow just frowned, folding his arms across his chest.

Minami then leaned forward, her eyes flicking upwards. "Speaking of challenge, do you know what that is?"

Sonic and Shadow looked at the green plant with a red ribbon hanging above them. Several tables at the café had those.

''Some kind of Christmas ornament?'' Sonic asked.

''It's a mistletoe," Amy explained, her tone of voice seemingly hinting towards something, but Sonic and Shadow remained clueless, going by their confused looks. "You don't know?" Sonic and Shadow shook their heads. ''It is tradition that, when two people meet under a mistletoe, they have to kiss.''

Amy and a very smug Minami observed as the two hedgehog's peach and tan muzzles turned a bright red. Sonic turned to Shadow, with an uncertain look on his expression, while Shadow just shoot him a glare.

''Don't you dare,'' Shadow hissed.

''I didn't,'' Sonic protested, just as flustered as Shadow was. He rubbed the back of his head. ''Eh, I need to get back to Lucas. See ya on the flipside!''

Sonic then quickly dashed outside, while Shadow glared at the two girls.

''You did this on purpose,'' he growled.

''We have absolutely no idea what you're talking about,'' Minami replied innocently. Shadow just frowned harder, vanishing in a flash of light blue light. Once he was gone, Minami leaned back into her seat, a wide smile on her lips.

''You know, this is a step up from following people around with a mistletoe,'' Amy told her, just as amused. The two had been out shopping when they came across this café and Minami suggested they sit at one of the tables decorated with a mistletoe just to see whether anyone who tried to approach them would go along with this particular tradition, calling it a prank. Amy agreed to it just to make sure her partner wouldn't get into trouble.

''The reactions were worth it,'' Minami replied, grinning as she took a sip of her hot chocolate.

xXx

Lucas was sitting at his desk in his room, watching the old Christmas photos he and his parents had taken when he was still a young child on his computer. He snorted at the sight of his father wearing reindeer horns and making funny faces at him, with his mother being the one behind the camera. Smiling, he switched to the next one, this being of him unwrapping a toy robot and beaming at his parents.

He leaned back against the chair, lost in his memories. While he was fully independent and could handle being on his own, he really missed spending time with his parents. Sure, he would see them tomorrow, but it really stung that they couldn't be here today. Lucas sighed, turning his computer off and getting up.

There wasn't really any point in just reminiscing about old times nor was he on his own. He knew that it would be better for him to go find Sonic and just spend time with his partner. After all, Sonic did suggest they spend Christmas Eve doing something together. Grabbing his hoverboard, he walked out of the house and went towards the city.

xXx

''Hey, Bennet, have you seen Knuckles anywhere?'' Lily asked the Crystle family butler, having looked around the mansion for the red echidna the whole day.

''I saw Master Knuckles leaving earlier today,'' Bennet replied, adding in a more sour tone, ''Perhaps, he realized that he doesn't want to be here and left for good.''

''Unlike my parents, Knuckles wouldn't abandon me just like that,'' Lily replied, her tone being a mix of anger and bitterness, then walked away. She turned around the corner at the hallway, glancing back at Bennet. She knew that the butler wasn't fond of her partner, but she couldn't give a damn about what he thought about Knuckles. She then ran up to her room, grabbing her hoverboard and jacket, deciding to go out. Technically, she wasn't supposed to leave the mansion without Knuckles by her side as per agreement with her parents, but she didn't really care.

After blowing off some steam, she had realized that all she wanted was to spend Christmas with her partner and best friend.

xXx

''Now, all we have to wait is for the cookies to finish baking,'' Touka said, looking at the oven, then turned to Rouge, who was tasked with making potato salad.

''Hopefully, Tall, Dark and Handsome will arrive before we're done with the dinner,'' Rouge said, tasting the salad and adding a bit more pepper.

''I told you already that we ran into Sonic. Who knows when he will return,'' Touka said, looking over at the living room, where Omega has placed the Christmas tree and trying to decorate it, but got stuck untangling the fairy lights. ''How are you doing, Omega?''

''I will not be beaten by these Christmas ornaments!'' Omega responded, clearly frustrated by the tangles.

''Just be careful with them,'' Touka warned him, with Rouge hovering next to her.

''Thanks again for inviting us to dinner,'' she said.

''I had figured that it would be more fun if the whole team's together,'' Touka replied. Suddenly, there was a flash of light in the hallway, with Shadow emerging from it.

''Speaking of the Devil,'' Rouge smirked, happy to see the ebony hedgehog. ''I presume you and Blue had your fun.''

''It was just a race,'' Shadow replied in a curt tone, going over to Omega to help him. The robot appeared to be close to just cut up the fairy lights. Touka and Rouge exchanged glances, both shrugging and continuing with preparing the dinner.

xXx

''You know, maybe winter isn't that bad,'' Silver told Makoto as the two sat on a bench, each having a plastic cup of tea in their hands, keeping them warm. ''I still prefer spring- and summertime to this, though.''

''Me too,'' Makoto replied, shivering due to the cold air. Before they could continue conversation, they suddenly heard someone screaming, followed by explosions. Both jumped on their feet, seeing people and ARNavs running away from the source of the explosions. Instead of following their example, they left the empty cups in a trash bin and ran, or in Silver's case, flew, towards it, only to find a huge group of robots close to Heizeru Park.

''Badniks!'' Silver gasped, both him and Makoto realizing what that meant. The teenager then tapped on his AR Visor, causing a holographic screen to appear before him and sending a message to the rest of Team Neos.

xXx

'''Eggman is attacking. Silver and I are at Heizeru Park','' Sonic read the message Makoto had sent. He was close to his home when he got it, so he quickly turned around, running straight back to where the action was. ''Guess the old Egghead couldn't resist trying to ruin everyone's day.''

Sonic ran through the streets, feeling a sting of frustration when he couldn't push himself to run as fast as possible. Fortunately, he did manage to arrive in time, spin-dashing into an Egg Pawn Badnik that was creeping up on Minami.

''Thanks, Sonic!'' Minami told the cobalt hedgehog, with Sonic looking past her. So far, the ones who were fighting off the Badniks were Amy, Minami, Silver, Makoto, Tails, Warren, Knuckles, Lily, Vector, Espio, Charmy, Touka, Shadow, Rouge, Omega and, to Sonic's surprise, Lucas. He spin-dashed into the Badnik that was closest to his partner.

''Lucas, what are you doing here?'' he asked.

''I've been searching for you,'' Lucas replied, both him and Sonic splitting up when another Badnik charged at them, followed by Sonic destroying it. Sonic gave him a wide grin.

''Me too, but I think we can talk about this later,'' Sonic replied. He had to admit that he was also a bit stunned to see both Rouge and Omega and the Chaotix helping them out, dodging a Badnik that was hit by a kunai thrown by Espio and then kicked into pieces by Rouge, but didn't spend much time thinking about it. After all, they were here to bust Eggman's robots.

He kicked another Badnik into the ground, only to get saved from another by Tails.

''Any sign of Eggman?'' he asked Tails.

''So far, nothing, but I wouldn't be surprised if he does appear,'' Tails replied, directing a small drone to fire lasers at another robot.

Suddenly, the ground shook when a giant mech landed before them. It looked similar to that of the Super Eggrobo, except it had a white and blue colour-scheme, with one of its arms being a cannon. On its back were also a pair of blue tanks, with cables connecting them to the arms.

''I guess you were right,'' Sonic said in a deadpan tone.

''Pardon my late appearance, but I had been waiting for all of you to gather so I can eliminate you together!'' Eggman's voice boomed from the giant mech. ''Do you like my new robot? I'm calling it the Egg Freezer. It will send all of you into the next Ice Age!''

''Out of all days he could've attacked us, he just had to pick Christmas Eve,'' Lily grumbled, more than ready to use Chaos Surge and aid her partner. Fortunately, everyone was holding their own against the Badniks.

''I'm quite efficient when it comes to ruining everyone's day,'' Eggman replied, having overheard her complaint. ''Now get a load of this!''

He pointed the Egg Freezer's cannon arm at them, firing three huge snowballs at them. A streak of orange, pink and blue leapt towards each, each shattering the snowballs: Shadow using a Chaos Spear, Amy with her Piko Piko Hammer and Sonic spin-dashing into one.

''TARGET LOCKED ON: Enjoy your destruction!'' Omega turned to the Egg Freezer, firing a barrage of rockets at it. However, the Egg Freezer pointed its other arm at the rockets, with a hatch in its palm opening and firing what appeared to be a beam of ice, freezing the rockets mid-air.

''Watch out!'' Silver cried out, rising a cyan barrier to shield everyone from the beam of ice. To his shock, the barrier started to turn into solid ice as well, causing it to shatter a moment later. ''Okay, I didn't expect that to happen.''

''It looks like Eggman is using some kind of instant coolant… Liquid nitrogen, maybe?'' Warren said, turning to Lucas, who was already focused on trying to find a good strategy to deal with this situation. They were still surrounded by Badniks and now they still had to deal with a mech.

However, before he could respond, Sonic ran up to the mech, dodging another snowball that was bigger than him, leaping right on the cannon. Eggman tried to shake him off, with Sonic leaping onto the other arm before landing on the top of the mech, knocking on the cockpit glass panel.

''I know you're bored, but couldn't you have waited like a day or two to attack us?'' Sonic asked, with Eggman shooting him a glare. ''You know what, since it's Christmas and I'm in a forgiving mood, how about we call a truce and go back home.''

''Why do you think that I would even agree to a truce?'' Eggman asked back, scowling.

''Don't you also want to celebrate Christmas?'' Sonic asked curiously, only to be forced to leap when Eggman swung one of the mech's arms at him.

''No, I don't!'' Eggman was frustrated to see that none of his attempts to squash Sonic like a bug worked.

''So, you don't have anyone to celebrate with you? Is that why?'' Sonic asked as he landed on the ground right in front of the mech, with Eggman pointing the cannon right at him.

''Shut up, you blue rat!'' Eggman fired another snowball, which Sonic dodged, running up the cannon arm and spin-dashing straight into the cockpit, causing Eggman to step back due to the impact. However, he managed to regain control of the situation, grabbing the cobalt hedgehog with the other arm. ''Now you can't escape!''

''Sonic!'' Lucas cried out, watching his partner struggle to escape Eggman's deadly grip.

''Any last words before I turn you into an ice sculpture?'' Eggman grinned as he observed his struggling enemy with glee.

Sonic frowned, only to be surprised when there was a flash of blue light, with Shadow appearing on the joint that connected the hand to the rest of the arm, an orange bolt of energy in his hands. Before Eggman could attack the ebony hedgehog, Shadow drove the Chaos Spear into the wires and mechanism inside the joint, causing the hand to release Sonic. Both leapt off the mech, watching Eggman as he struggled to bring his robotic creation under control.

''Thanks for the save, Shads,'' Sonic said, grinning at Shadow.

''Don't lose your focus. We're not done yet,'' Shadow responded.

Eggman growled as he tried out the damaged arm. He could see sparks flying, and only a few fingers were moving properly, figuring that this would be enough. He pointed the damaged arm at the group, who had managed to beat the Egg Pawns, firing another blast of ice.

''Watch out!'' Vector yelled.

''Chaos Surge!''

Silver and Makoto ran forward, both surrounded with cyan energy. Silver flew up, his golden eyes now glowing in a cyan colour as he put up another barrier, this one much stronger than the previous one. To his dismay, it appeared that the barrier got still frozen, forcing him to put another layer behind it.

''I don't think the barrier will last long,'' Lucas muttered, only for the hand to spark up again.

''What in the-?!'' Eggman tried to stop the ice beam, but the malfunctioning robot arm stared firing all around the place without his input.

''Down!'' Lily yelled, tackling those closest to her, Knuckles and Charmy, to the ground just as the beam passed far too close above them. She could feel the hairs on her neck standing up and as she got into a crouch, looked behind at the frozen street. ''That was close. Lucas, any ideas?''

''First of all, we'd need to stop the robot from freezing everything,'' Lucas said, narrowing his eyes as he observed the Egg Freezer, but the malfunctioning arm and the cannon arm. ''Those cables that connect to the arms, we need to disconnect them.''

''I can take care of that!'' Tails said, flying up and grabbing a wrench from his backpack, only to almost get frozen hadn't Silver put up a barrier around him. ''Thanks, Silver! Can you keep it up so I can get close enough to the robot?''

''Yeah, just go!'' Silver replied, with Tails flying straight towards the mech. It fired another beam of ice at the two-tailed fox, shattering the barrier, but Tails managed to reach the arm, starting to dismantle the cables.

''Get off my robot!'' Eggman yelled, pointing the arm cannon at Tails. He didn't care if he'd blow up the malfunctioning arm as it was useless anyway. Tails gasped as he saw it, while back below, Sonic turned to Amy.

''Croquet Shot, now!'' he said, curling up into a spiky ball.

''Brace yourself!'' Amy replied, hitting Sonic with her Piko Piko Hammer with all her might. The cobalt hedgehog flew right at the arm cannon, knocking it away from Tails. The fox grinned, managing to finally dismantle the cables, causing the arm to drop uselessly. He then leapt off, holding onto Sonic as they flew away from the robot. Eggman gritted his teeth in fury, pointing the cannon arm at the group.

''I have enough of these games-'' Eggman suddenly cut himself off when he spotted Omega facing him. Omega held up his arms, firing rockets at the cannon arm, with them flying right into the opening and exploding the cannon. The robot stumbled back from the blast, both arms now destroyed, but it wasn't over yet, as a Chaos Surge-empowered Shadow dashed towards the Egg Freezer, glowing in a dangerous red aura.

''Chaos Blast!''

Shadow fired a red blast of energy straight at the torso, destroying it. However, Eggman managed to press the ejection button, the Egg Mobile separating itself from the robot. He let out a frustrated growl as he saw his mech falling apart, with Team Neos, Team Chaotix and Team Dark below cheering victoriously. He absolutely hated it that they all managed to best him.

''Look at what you've done! Are you happy about destroying my property?'' Eggman called them out, only to feel something hit his head, something cold, realizing that it was a snowball, and quickly turned his head to the perpetrator. It turned out to be Lucas, who was glaring back at him. ''How dare you?!''

''I dare because no one wanted you to show up and ruin our day,'' Lucas replied sternly. ''As Sonic said, you could've at least waited for a day or two and no one would've batted an eye.''

Eggman's eyes narrowed as he observed the group below, only to get hit by another snowball, this one coming from Knuckles.

''Lucas is right. I was on an important quest when you appeared. You could've left us alone instead of facing our rage,'' he said, with Lily giving him a questioning look the moment she heard he was on a 'quest'. Eggman was about to respond, only to dodge another snowball, this one being thrown by Charmy.

''Hey, are we getting now into a snowball fight?'' Charmy asked, turning to Sonic, who grinned mischievously as he grabbed a handful of snow.

''Why not? That sounds fun!'' Sonic replied, about to throw the snowball at Eggman, but the Doctor flew up higher.

''I'm not going to engage into something silly like a snowball fight with you, rodent,'' Eggman replied. Rouge put her hands on her hips.

''Is that so? Even though we were caught in one just moments ago,'' she snarked.

The group observed Eggman as he flied away, grumbling something under his breath. They all breathed a huge sigh of relief, the sky growing darker and darker with each passing minute. They decided to scatter before the authorities arrived, leaving the pile of metal scraps to them. Unknown to them, the whole battle had been observed by Ferra and Metal Sonic, who had found a hiding spot at a nearby building overlooking the park. Metal Sonic glanced at Ferra.

''Why have you refused to join the battle?'' Metal Sonic asked.

''I believe that it would be a good idea for the Doctor to learn that you don't mess with people on Christmas,'' Ferra said, sounding slightly amused. ''I wonder how the reaction would've been if the attack was carried out on New Year.''

''Do you plan on taking a break during New Year?'' Metal Sonic asked.

''No way. I believe that it would be way more fun to turn Sonic into ammunition for the fireworks,'' Ferra replied, with Metal Sonic nodding in agreement.

xXx

After things have calmed down, the group went separate ways, but not after Sonic suggested they all meet up the next day, with Lucas, Sonic, Warren and Tails being left standing on the street.

''Now, that was exciting!'' Sonic said, grinning at Lucas.

''I'd rather go home,'' Lucas replied, sounding quite tired.

''I thought you'd be coming with us,'' Warren said.

''What do you mean?'' Lucas asked, giving his friend a confused look. Tails turned to Sonic.

''You haven't told him?'' he asked.

''Told me what?'' Lucas turned to his partner, who just gave him a sheepish look.

''I asked Tails and Warren whether we could spend Christmas Eve with them and they agreed. I just forgot to tell you,'' Sonic explained.

''I'm surprised you haven't asked us,'' Warren added, looking at Lucas. ''I already told you last year that you could stay with us whenever you want.''

''I guess I just didn't think about it,'' Lucas admitted sheepishly. ''I did want to spend Christmas Eve with Sonic, but I think that all of us spending the evening together is even better.''

''Awesome! We can have a party!'' Sonic and Tails high-fived, the four then laughing in excitement as they continued to talk about all the things they wanted to do.

xXx

''Knuckles had asked us whether we could help you regain your Christmas spirit,'' Vector explained to Lily as they walked through the streets towards the Crystle Mansion. ''We decided to ask you about it, but Eggman then attacked and we got side-tracked.''

''I see,'' Lily muttered, glancing at her partner.

''I apologize for hiding my quest from you, but I felt that I needed help,'' Knuckles replied. Lily shook her head.

''No, it's fine,'' she replied. ''It's really sweet that you wanted to help me.''

''So, how are we supposed to help you getting back your Christmas spirit?'' Charmy flew up to her.

''That's something I wanted to talk about with Knux, but now that you're all here… How about you guys joining us for a Christmas party at my place?'' Lily asked.

''You're inviting us?'' Espio asked, waiting for a confirmation.

''Of course! I kind of realized that, while I'm still angry at my parents, I'm not alone in this situation and that I should be spending my time with my friends,'' Lily explained.

''That is a wise conclusion,'' Espio said.

''Yeah, and besides, we have the entire Mansion to ourselves. We get to play games, eat some delicious food and there are also presents…'' Lily trailed off when Charmy suddenly flew up.

''Wooo! What are we waiting for, let's go!'' he yelled in excitement, grabbing Lily's hand and pulling her along. Lily glanced back at Vector and Espio, who gave her an apologetic look, but she just smiled back. The two then looked at Knuckles, who was just proud to see that his own quest didn't prove to be futile.

xXx

''What a day,'' Amy sighed as she, Minami, Silver and Makoto walked down the street. ''I didn't imagine our first Christmas to go like this.''

''Honestly, I'm not surprised that Eggman decided to attack today. He'd do anything to ruin our day,'' Minami said.

''Right, but we beat him,'' Silver paused, his gaze showing worry. ''What if he attacks us tomorrow?''

''I don't think he'd do that,'' Makoto assured him.

''Well, you never know. He could call it a Christmas present for us,'' Minami replied, then pouted as she gave it a thought. ''Although, I'm not in the mood spending Christmas in the trenches.''

''Me neither,'' Amy said. ''I can't wait for tomorrow, though. I think we all deserve to have some fun after this.''

''Hey, how about we go to my place and get warmed up?'' Makoto suggested. ''We could drink some hot chocolate and make apple bunnies.''

''Okay, but could we make apple hedgehogs instead?'' Silver asked.

''Sure thing,'' Makoto responded.

xXx

Kisaki sighed as she exited the car. It was late in the evening, she was exhausted from her shift and she knew that she still needed to make dinner and decorate the Christmas tree. She had promised to herself that she would make Touka and Shadow's first Christmas memorable, yet due to her work, it felt like an impossible task. At least she bought dinner.

As she walked into the house, she was suddenly met by a waft of baked goods and cooked food. Rising an eyebrow, she noticed a small coat on the rack, being about the size of a child. Confused, she took of her shoes and jacket, and quickly walked towards the living room and kitchen area.

''Touka, Shadow, what were you-?''

''Surprise!''

Kisaki's jaw dropped when she saw that the table was already set for dinner and the Christmas tree was in the living room, completely decorated. Touka, Shadow, Rouge and Omega were also in the living room.

''I… I'm speechless…'' Kisaki said, still shocked by what she saw.

''Do you require assistance with your vocal cords?'' Omega asked, with Touka elbowing him and earning a glare from the robot.

''No, no, I think I just need a moment… Did you do all of that?'' Kisaki said as she sat down on the couch.

''Yeah. You've been telling Shadow and I what you wanted us to do these past days, and when you got that call, we figured that we should go ahead and prepare everything with Rouge and Omega's help,'' Touka explained.

''We will be staying for dinner, if that's fine,'' Rouge added.

''That's more than fine,'' Kisaki replied, looking overjoyed. ''I hope it wasn't too troubling.''

''Not at all,'' Rouge replied, smiling innocently as she exchanged glances with Shadow. They had all agreed that it would be better to not tell Kisaki about the fact that they almost set the house on fire because they left the oven on when they Chaos Controlled to where the battle against Eggman was, resulting in the cookies burning.

''As Touka had said, it was something that would've been done regardless of whether you were here or not,'' Shadow said. Kisaki then stood up.

''Well, I at least hope that you enjoyed yourselves,'' she added as she walked into the kitchen.

''Satisfaction levels are at 90%,'' Omega said. Kisaki turned on her heel, giving Omega a confused look.

''Why's that?'' Kisaki asked.

''I am not allowed to blow up things,'' Omega said. Kisaki rose an eyebrow, looking at Shadow, Rouge and Touka.

''We told him we wouldn't be using firecrackers,'' Shadow explained.

''The satisfaction levels would've been even lower if it weren't for Eggman's interference,'' Omega continued, earning a baffled look from Kisaki. Omega ignored her reaction, still feeling proud for blowing up one of Eggman's robots.

''What- What happened?'' Kisaki asked, only to get pushed towards the table by Touka.

''We'll explain it over dinner,'' she said.

xXx

After the failure that was the Egg Freezer, Eggman was back at his HQ, glaring at the monitors showing him parts of Neos City. It was quite astonishing how fast people had moved on from the attack, but he had to count in that they were very likely used to his appearance and he only attacked a small area of the city.

''Boss, do you want some hot chocolate? It might lift your spirits up,'' Orbot said, hovering over with a mug.

''I'm not in the mood,'' Eggman grumbled, with Orbot and Cubot exchanging slightly worried glances. Suddenly, all three were surprised by a blue streak shown on the monitors.

''Huh, what is Sonic doing outside the Tamago Corporation?'' Cubot asked when one of the monitors showed the cobalt hedgehog in front of the building, holding a red box with a green bow on top of it. He was looking around, then waved at one of the cameras.

''Hey, Eggman! Are you at home?''

''Is he mocking me?'' Eggman asked, glaring at the monitor. Even if he wouldn't admit it, he knew that he lost and the anger he felt got only worse when Sonic showed up.

''It doesn't look like it. Should we ready the Badniks and attack him?'' Orbot asked.

''Could we talk?''

Eggman rose an eyebrow when he heard that question. ''Open the side entrance. I want to know what that hedgehog wants to talk about. And yes, ready the Badniks.''

Meanwhile, Sonic outside was growing impatient. He had told Tails, Lucas and Warren that he'd be away only for a few minutes, noting how he forgot something and now he was waiting at the one place connected to Eggman. He noticed a monitor at the main entrance lighting up, reading the message on it and then dashing quickly around the building, finding himself at a clear space. He wasn't that surprised when he saw Badniks surrounding him and Eggman hovering above them in his Egg Mobile.

''What are you doing here? Have you come here to gloat?'' Eggman asked him.

''No, I'm here to deliver a present,'' Sonic replied, holding up the box. ''I actually wanted to do this way earlier, but you attacked Neos City.''

Eggman was shocked by this reveal. ''You… got me a present?'' He quickly composed himself. ''How do I know this isn't some kind of trick?''

''Says the guy who surrounded me with killer robots,'' Sonic said sarcastically. ''Dude, it's Christmas! I don't know if anyone told you, but it's also the time of year when people put aside their differences and find it in themselves to forgive the worst of their enemies,… even if they will go fight each other the next day regardless.''

''Hmph, if you really think that I would agree to anything like that, you're wrong, Hedgehog,'' Eggman said, hovering closer to Sonic and snatching the present out of his arms. ''I'm proud to say that I will never forgive you and petty enough to say that I have no presents for you.''

''That's fine,'' Sonic replied nonchalantly, causing Eggman to scowl. He had hoped that the hedgehog would be at least upset, but it seemed like there was hardly anything that could rattle his nemesis. ''I also wanted to ask you whether you'd not launch any of your attacks tomorrow. I don't know your schedule, but could you at least skip one day?''

''Why should I listen to you?'' Eggman asked.

''Because that would be the right thing to do,'' Sonic responded. ''Look, can we just agree to a day of truce? Lucas had told me that there was once a war where two armies actually ceased fire during Christmas, and I had figured that we could do the same.''

Eggman gave him a long, hard look, before extending his arm and shaking hands with Sonic.

''Make no mistake, Hedgehog, the only reason I won't be attacking any of you tomorrow is because I'll be working on my next project,'' Eggman told him. Sonic shrugged.

''If that's the best response I'll get, I'll take it,'' he replied, stepping away. ''Merry Christmas, Eggman!''

Eggman scowled as he watched the cobalt hedgehog dash away, leaving a blue streak of light. He looked down at the present, opening it and being genuinely surprised to find a red scarf in it. So, the Hedgehog was being genuine? Bah, he's just as naive as anyone else who celebrates this stupid holiday.

Despite these thoughts, he put the scarf around his neck, noting how it added a flair to his outfit. Not to mention, it was getting quite icy outside. Scoffing, Eggman turned the Egg Mobile around, ordering the Badniks to return to their stations.

While he would grant them this one day of truce, the moment Christmas was over, they would be going back to how things were before.

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