𝙰𝚙𝚙𝚕𝚎 𝚐𝚘𝚎𝚜 𝚝𝚘 𝚊𝚙𝚙𝚕𝚎 𝚝𝚛𝚎𝚎

      Sonic's birthday was wonderful and all the other days in the winter in the forest with the nagas, the baby lived even happier. The semblance of a cake was really delicious, and the hedgehog really liked the doll that Amy made. He plays with her every day and even gave her a name - Ice Cream. Every day winter also brought joy to the naked and hedgehog. Every day it became colder and more snow fell. That was why it was fun. The kid sometimes made snowmen and threw snowballs at the nagas themselves, after which they also joined the game and also began throwing snowballs. One night, in such cold weather with beautiful snow on the ground, Shadow and Amy even went out into the street in an embrace and looked into each other’s eyes for a long time. And only then did they kiss, which Sonic himself saw through the window. However, he did not resist. I just decided to take blank paper and depict in the drawing a kiss of two nagas as a keepsake, against the backdrop of the snow glistening on the ground at night. Otherwise, the nagas, as always, gradually fell in love with each other, the baby played snowballs, sledded and made snowmen, and sometimes went out with them for a walk in the cold. It seemed like this would happen every day, right up until spring. However, Amy one day decided to go to the village herself. She did not repeat Shadow's mistake, she took one of the fur coats and hid her tail under it, bending down, pretending that she was a child or a dwarf. So she walked around the village and some, of course, sometimes looked at her, not understanding why she was wearing such a fur coat and walking around like that? Maybe her parents didn’t have money for a smaller fur coat and her daughter decided to wear her mother’s outfit for now? Naginya did not pay attention and calmly walked around the village, watching how people and Mobians were doing in this village. She accidentally overheard a couple of conversations between people in that village and learned that there would soon be a human holiday. It will be New Year and it will come in five days. In the village, everyone had time to prepare, but they, Shadow and Sonic, unfortunately, were not ready yet, because they didn’t even know about this holiday. The hedgehog snake quickly crawled home to warn Shadow about what she had learned from the villagers.

***

      Amy managed to return home. — Shadow! Shadow! — What's the matter, Amy? — Have you heard about such a holiday as New Year? — Yes. I once heard about him once. This is when people and Mobians get together before going to bed at a table with a bunch of treats, put a Christmas tree inside the house and decorate it with all sorts of toys and candles. The main thing is not to start a fire by accident! And the funny thing is that many naively believe that on this holiday a certain old man named Santa Claus comes to them, enters through the fireplace or through the window and brings gifts to those who have been good all year. Although in reality it is some people who dress up in red or blue, put on a beard made of cotton wool and carry bags of gifts that they give to obedient children. Moreover, sometimes they give what the children wanted, but what they give, on the contrary, is not what they wanted at all. Moreover, children are happy when they believe in Santa Claus, but if you tell them the truth that he doesn’t really exist, then they despair and begin to be sad. What was the point of composing and learning some poems then? After all, there was no point in this, since it doesn’t actually exist. Shadow was so carried away while he was talking that Amy gave a signal cough and looked at him with a frown. — Oh, yes. Sorry. I started chatting! I understand that you also want this holiday? — Certainly. — the snake smiled. — Why are people and Mobians allowed, but we nagas can’t? — Well, probably because they have their own culture and their own holidays, and we have our own culture and our own. — Yes. But Sonic himself is unlikely to appreciate it. But he is a Mobian, and besides, he is also a child. — Rose explained. — Okay. I promise. At least for his sake we will have time and do everything. — Shadow assured her, for which Amy kissed him briefly on the lips. The tabby had a blush on his cheeks with joy. At this time, Sonic himself returned from a walk, having ridden on a sleigh that looked like a huge bowl. — Sonic, tell me, do you believe in Santa Claus? — asked Amy. — What kind of Frost is there? — the hedgehog waved his hand. - He doesn’t exist. — Did the adults tell you about this? Rose asked, perplexed. — No, I guessed it myself. Because if he really existed, he would have appeared long ago and fulfilled my deepest desire. — Which one? — Shadow joined their conversation. — Well, in general, it’s not customary for us to talk about our dreams and desires. After all, they say that if you blurt them out to someone, then they will never come true. But otherwise this is no longer important. Personally, I’ll tell you anyway. While I lived in an orphanage, I always dreamed that at least someone would quickly adopt me and take me home, and most importantly, that this someone would love me and take care of me. All these years there I wished for my family. Even... Well, supposedly he wrote letters to Santa Claus to the north and sent them by mail. But either the letters did not arrive on time, or grandpa himself did not understand me correctly, or he believed that I behaved badly and did not deserve the gift, for which he did not give it to me. Although in reality I behaved well every year and tried to obey my elders. And after that, a few months before I decided to run away, I finally realized that Santa Claus would never fulfill this wish for me and give me a family. Because it doesn't exist. After all, if he had, he would have given me a family long ago and I would have been adopted long ago. - Sonic explained all this, almost angry at those people who worked in that orphanage. Shadow crawled up to the baby, took him in his arms and began to calm him down: — But then you wouldn’t have run away, you wouldn’t have met us, and Amy and I probably would never have met without your help. You changed Amy's and my lives for the better. Both separately from each other and taken together. — he explained to him. — Perhaps you’re right, dad. — the baby said out loud and after some time he did not notice how he fell asleep in the middle of the day. — Sleeping? — Amy asked, to which Shadow quietly shushed him, putting his index finger to his lips. Having placed the hedgehog in its nest and covered it with a blanket, the striped one and the pink one decided to go outside and continue their conversation there while Sonic was sleeping. — I think it’s better for us to do without Santa Claus, since he doesn’t believe in him and probably even hates him for not helping him. Let's better get the necessary things for the holiday and prepare them as a surprise for Sonic? — I agree. Let's go! That's what they decided on. Shadow and Amy went into the forest to look for and collect the necessary things for the New Year. Amy found a tree with cones growing on it and began to pick them off the tree. True, the tree was too huge and wouldn’t fit into the house. You'll have to look for a smaller tree. Shadow found one that was the size of a two-meter man. However, he did not chop it or gnaw it. He decided to dig it out of the ground so that it would not be damaged by cutting down the roots. Digging snow and earth with his bare hands, a little tired. Then Amy herself joined him and helped dig. The spruce itself was already starting to slowly bend over and almost fell on them. The nagas managed to grab her with their tails and hold her. The tree and cones have been obtained. But all this is not enough. They decided to get the rest tomorrow, but for now they took what they had gotten home in advance and hid it. I was also lucky that there was an empty iron bucket. I actually had to collect some soil from under the snow outside so that the spruce could take root inside the house. I also had to pour hot water on it from a kettle to keep it from freezing. The cones have been hidden in the attic for now. When Sonic woke up, he didn’t notice anything, and hadn’t even paid attention to the tree yet. He couldn't wait to go outside just for a walk. — Sonic, wait! — Shadow slowed him down. — Can we go with you? And then we also wanted to go for a walk.

***

      In fact, they specifically said so, and the baby himself calmly walked through the snowy forest, while Shadow and Amy separated again and began to collect the rest. Amy found a large opossum somewhere. Even though she is a vegetarian, she caught her at least for Shadow himself, in order to arrange a surprise for himself. The opossum was still sleeping on the branch, hanging upside down. When the nigina grabbed him around the waist, he woke up abruptly and squeaked like a mouse. At this time, Shadow followed Amy's method. He also put on a fur coat and pretended to be a dwarf or a child in order to return to the village. He came up with nothing but to steal other people's toys and decorations from the villagers. One of the hunters drew attention to the thief. Shadow ran back into the forest, screaming and stealing the goods, and the hunter chases after him, shoots real bullets from a gun and shouts: — STOP, YOUNG FREAK!!! Fortunately, due to luck, it smeared and only hit trees, leaving holes and pieces of torn chips.

***

      The next day, Shadow and Amy hit the road again. The two of them, already under fur coats and the appearance of dwarfs, made their way to the village dump, where there was a heap of junk and boards from broken cabinets, tables and others. Of course, they decided to take it all with them, taking more nails and tools. They made new chairs and a table from a pile of boards and debris. Sonic saw that they made them, but did not understand why they needed them. However, he did not distract them, deciding that perhaps this was their own business. It took about two days to repair the table and chairs.

***

      Returning to the village again, they headed to the market and entered the shooting range. A local merchant was offering a TV as a prize for a magic mirror. The rarest item that had just appeared and not everyone could afford, because it was very expensive. And to win, all you had to do was hit the target. Shadow decided to shoot first. Before the shot, he thought for a long time, received all sorts of calculations in his head and was already preparing to shoot accurately, but then an idea came to him. Why would he shoot at a target when he could shoot at a merchant? Moreover, no one ever won anything from him, because he probably cheated just to earn more and sell fewer prizes. Or don’t sell them at all, and get money for nothing. Shadow aimed at the salesman's head and hit him with one shot. Luckily, the bullets weren't real and he didn't die. True, the guy was so frightened by the shot that he lost consciousness. At this time, Amy got inside, grabbed the magic mirror and TV in her hands and crawled away. Shadow himself decided to take a toy tiger cub with him from the same shop.

***

      On the last day they returned to the village, but went to another market where they sold food. Amy began to lie down, scream heart-rendingly and pretend that she was pregnant and giving birth. Strangely enough, it worked, and while everyone was distracted by her and also trying to help her, Shadow entered their shops, took everything edible from vegetables and fruits to meat and sweets, hid it in his stomach without chewing and ran away . Then Amy herself pretended that she imagined it and crawled away. Now they had everything. Decorations, an elegant Christmas tree, new table with chairs, treats and there was already a New Year's holiday feeling. Unless there is no Santa Claus and there never will be. But that doesn't matter anymore. When Sonic returned home in the middle of the night after playing snowballs with himself in the forest, Shadow and Amy gave the baby a surprise. The whole house was decorated, and he only now saw the tree itself, and even decorated with both ordinary Christmas tree decorations and pine cones on paper clips. Unless they decided to give up candles so that the tree wouldn’t burn down. And he also now realized that those new table and chairs were for the New Year, for them, and also for treats. Plus, in front of the table there was also the first TV in the form of a magic mirror, which so far only showed four TV channels. But this was enough, because TV in their world had only just appeared and a thousand channels would not appear immediately. Among them they showed “Mobius-1”, where news from the whole world was shown, “Channel Two”, which was called exactly that and which showed cartoons with films for children with several repetitions, because there were few of them yet, “Sunny”, on which showed entertaining children's programs and "Mouse", which was not yet available and had multi-colored bars with interference, since the channel had not yet decided what it would show. In addition, Amy pulls out from behind and shows the same stuffed tiger cub that she and Shadow, along with the magic mirror, stole for Sonic. — Happy New Year, Sonic! The hedgehog did not expect, of course, that the nagas would find out about such a holiday and decide to congratulate him on it. However, he was incredibly happy with them that he ran to hug them again.

***

      After a hearty dinner, when it was almost midnight, all four TV channels suddenly began to show an urgent live broadcast with an address from a certain king in a golden crown, who congratulated all the peasants, residents, knights and other residents around the world on the upcoming holiday. He also said that this holiday will give joy to everyone, and it doesn’t matter who the person he’s addressing from the screen is, a person, a Mobian, or some other creature, or, for example, some kind of animal. Of course, Shadow and Amy understood that perhaps the king also meant them, the nagas, by creatures. After the king’s address, a musical anthem and fireworks began, which came not only from the mirror TV, but also from the street from the village. Even the fireworks pleased Sonic, as did the surprise gifts from the nagas. — Happy New Year, mom and dad!