//------------------------------// // A Very Botty Christmas // Story: Wily's Wittle Wub // by Tatsurou //------------------------------// Dr. Light sighed sadly as he stared at the capsule before him. Mega Man had been severely damaged as a result of the fight with Skull Man, to the point that he couldn't even work on him while keeping him active. His only option had been to retrofit an experimental construction pod - destined for a future project - as a stasis repair bay. Mega Man now floated in the green fluid which was a mixture of stabilizing liquid and repair nanites, slowly putting him back together. Based on current projections, he wouldn't be back online until after the New Year. On top of that, Roll hadn't quite been herself with her brother in such condition. Her emotional program based in her personality core had been causing an endless sequence of errors, to the point she'd actually put a live turkey in the robot repair bay and nearly tried to cook Rush for Thanksgiving Dinner. After that, Dr. Light had granted her request to leave her in standby until Mega Man was reactivated. As for Rush himself, he had taken position on top of the capsule after his bad experience in the kitchen, and refused to move until the capsule opened. As a result, Dr. Light found himself spending Christmas alone. He sat staring at the capsule, sipping eggnog laced with a mix of Cognac and Rum. He imagined that Albert would be having a much happier Christmas right now, wherever he was. After all, whatever else he had, he had Vinyl. He was startled out of his reverie by the sound of knocking at the door. Curious, he went and opened it. "P-Protoman?" he gasped out, shocked. "Dr. Wily was wondering if you'd like to play Santa Claus for Vinyl's first Christmas," Protoman replied. As lonely as Tom had been feeling - and as much of the spiked eggnog as he'd already drunk - he didn't need to be asked twice. "Let me get my suit!" he replied eagerly, rushing back into the lab. Chuckling, Protoman stepped inside, unwrapping his scarf briefly to rub his neck. Setting the scarf down on an end table, he took a sip from Tom's eggnog, only to make a face. "Wow. No wonder he agreed so fast..." Tom soon came rushing down the stairs, rosy cheeked and dressed from head to toe in red and white fur, a perfect traditional Santa outfit. He looked like a very realistic Santa Claus, to the point that Protoman was having 'Miracle on 34th Street' flashbacks. "Let's go!" he said eagerly, grabbing for his keys. "No need for a car," Protoman countered. "We're providing a vehicle." Taking Dr. Light's arm, he led him outside. Dr. Light blinked at what he saw. "Is that a Mass Transit Teleportation Unit...done up to look like a sleigh? Pulled by eight new Robot Masters?" "Yup," Protoman agreed. "Albert made them specifically for this, to give Vinyl a 'real' Santa experience." "You mean the reindeer antlers are a part of them?" Tom asked, shocked. "No, just funny hats to get in the spirit," Protoman replied with a chuckle, leading him up to the head of the sleigh. "This is Crystal Man," he introduced, gesturing to a blue robot with crystal spheres on his shoulders, head, and chest. "He's in charge of making the sleigh shimmer." "Another beautiful one!" Crystal Man stated eagerly all of a sudden, conjuring a crystal around a falling snowflake. "And another!" "He's...making a snowflake collection?" Dr. Light asked, stunned. "Yes, he is," the robot next to him - a large purple robot bristling with rockets, missiles, and other weaponry - stated as he shifted his tank treads. "This is Napalm Man," Protoman introduced. "He's in charge of fireworks." "Don't you think all that is overkill?" Dr. Light asked gesturing to the weaponry. "Oh, that's not what this is at all!" Napalm Man replied. "I collect weapons so they won't be used, and the only way I can be sure they won't be used is if I carry them with me at all times-oh no!" At the 'oh no', Napalm Man stumbled forward, falling on his face as several of his weapons went off. "It wasn't. My. Fault," the robot who bumped into him - an orange robot with a large yellow star on his torso and smaller stars on the rest of his body - stated, placing odd pauses in his speech. "Then whose fault was it, Star Man?" Protoman growled out. "You're in charge of choreography." "Gyro. Man. Bumped into. Me," Star Man replied, his voice mild but accusing. "My bad!" a green robot with a large propeller strapped to his back replied in a good natured voice, managing to sound happy and - somehow - adorable. "I don't know how you manage that when you're supposed to be in charge of stabilizing the flight path," Protoman groaned. "I just don't know what went wrong!" Gyro Man added sorrowfully. "Can we hurry this up?" a robot shaped like a red train engine proclaimed, pulling out a large pocket watch. "I'm in Charge of the schedule, and we're late! For a very important date!" "You forgot to take time zones into account again, Charge Man," a blue and yellow robot with swim fins on his feet and a harpoon for a hand replied bluntly. "That's easy for you to say, Wave Man," a large red robot replied, his voice soft but intense. "I'm the one who has to carry all of us. All you have to do is use your water powers to give us a soft landing." "That's Gravity Man," Protoman whispered. "He's here to use his gravity manipulation tech to make the whole thing fly." "And...this one?" Tom asked, gesturing to the last Robot Master, who looked to be made of bricks. "I am Stone Man," the robot replied, his voice very bland. "I am to be a chimney...with extreme prejudice." "...he sounds a bit like Guts Man," Tom commented. "That's because he's a reupload of Guts Man," Protoman explained. "With a few minor tweaks." "Does that make you Rudolph?" Tom asked jokingly as he climbed into the sleigh. Protoman merely glowered at him as the sleigh started forward into the sky, bells ringing, only to teleport out. Inside, Protoman's scarf lay across an end table next to a spilled glass of eggnog. Albert smiled widely as he got the signal of the arrival. "Vinyl, do you hear that?" he asked eagerly. Cocking her head, Vinyl listened...and heard the sound of sleigh bells in the snow. Gasping happily - she'd spent the past month hearing every Christmas story for children there was - she dashed outside, looking up in wonder as the sleigh descended, pulled by what to her childish imagination and delight appeared to be eight robotic reindeer. And Santa himself leapt out of the sleigh. "Ho ho ho!" 'Santa' called out in Dr. Light's voice. "Merry Christmas!" As everyone filed inside, Protoman suddenly snapped his fingers in frustration. "I forgot my scarf!" he snarled. Giggling, Vinyl handed him a scarf wrapped in a ribbon. It was the same yellow as Protoman's old one, but when she ran her hoof over it, it sang. Confused, Protoman wrapped it around his neck. When it blew in the non-existent breeze, the scarf played his distinctive whistle. Smiling, Protoman pulled Vinyl into a hug. "So tell me, Vinyl, have you been a good little girl this year?" Dr. Light asked, leaning over her as he held the massive sack of presents. Grinning, Vinyl pulled out her sonic disruptor. "This is a stick up!" she shouted with a wide grin. As Dr. Light dropped the sack and threw his hands into the air, every robot present laughed. Albert struggled to get his own laughter under control. "Vinyl!" he scolded, taking the gun from her. "You don't hold Santa up for his presents!" Vinyl pouted as Dr. Light lowered his hands. "Thank you Albert." Wily suddenly smirked, aiming the gun at Tom's head. "That's Daddy's job," he finished, startling more laughter as Tom put his hands in the air again as everyone else made a mad scramble for presents. Much later that night, after Vinyl had gone to sleep and most of the robots had powered down for a sleep cycle, Albert and Tom sat up drinking their spiked eggnog, and having gotten more than a little tipsy. "Ya know..." Tom joked as he hiccuped, "if I'm not back when Mega Man reactivates - the capsule's on automatic - he might think I've been...kidnapped!" He laughed at that. "But Protoman left his scarf behind!" Al pointed out through his own drunk laughter. "So he'll think Protoman did it!" Tom guffawed. "And since the sensors will show him arriving with eight Robot Masters..." "If you're setting me up as the fall guy for another world takeover scheme, I want my own fortress," Protoman spoke up, leaning against the wall as his scarf continued to whistle. "Done!" Tom and Albert both shouted out before slumping forward into unconsciousness. Protoman chuckled to himself. "What a way to start the New Year," he muttered, covering both doctors up with blankets.