#Sonic was gonna say no but Tails said he was waiting to give the box to his new family | Explore Tumblr posts and blogs

bimboamyrose · 4 years ago

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On The Scarlett Sea - Part 1 / 2

A ~Pirate~ Metamy Fanfic - [Link to Part 2] - [AO3 Link]

Synopsis When the world learns of a secret pirate treasure plundered from the Knuckles Clan’s ancient ruins over 300 years ago, Knuckles enlists the help of his friends, Amy and Tails, to retrieve and hide its most powerful artifact- a mysterious mirror that allows the user to become their most desired self. He isn’t the only one after the treasure, however; As Metal Sonic discovers the existence of the mirror, he forms his own crew of “pirates” to take it for himself. Along the way, he separates Amy from her friends and convinces her to help him make his greatest dream a reality- but what is that, really?

In collaboration with @mmm-asbestos & their pirate Metamy AU Merry Xmas / Happy holidays and stay well~

Part 1

There were few things Knuckles regretted more in life than meeting the self-proclaimed “World's Greatest Thief,” Rouge. As such, Amy knew she was in for a rant the minute she answered his call at the crack of dawn and heard him utter the bat’s name.

“Rouge is in the news!” he yelled into the receiver.

“Wha…” Amy rubbed her eyes. It was still dark out.

“Haven’t you seen the papers this morning?”

“You get newspapers on Angel Island?” she yawned.

“Turn on the news! This is important!”

“Alright, calm down...” Amy slid out of bed sleepily, still yawning as she flipped her living room TV on and threw herself onto the couch groggily. A news channel was running a segment on an archeological discovery that seemed to be making waves. Amy turned it up so Knuckles could hear on the other end.

“The centuries-old hiding place was found by none other than world-famous treasure hunter, Rouge the Bat. The former jewel thief was hired for her skills-”

“Former jewel thief?! Where are they getting their sources?”

“Quiet, I can’t hear!” Amy raised the volume further to drown out his yelling.

“- the discovery of a lifetime! We had an exclusive interview with the mastermind who helped find this historical treasure. Here’s what she had to say:”

Footage of Rouge sitting in a lavish armchair next to a roaring fireplace followed. “Well, you’ll be interested to hear that this isn’t the famed Captain Scarlett's treasure. It was a personal stash of journals and letters her wife left behind.

The camera cut briefly to a reporter sitting across from her. “And we understand that a possible map to the famous pirate’s real treasure was hidden among this?”

“That’s correct. I spent some days analyzing the documents and discovered they contain instructions on how to reach Captain Scarlett’s treasure. There are some hints as to what’s contained at the site as well. I’ll be sailing there with a crew in a few days!”

“Can you give us an idea of what you believe to find there?”

“Untold riches, of course!” Rouge gave a breathy laugh. “And perhaps some old artifacts- I understand she had an interest in ancient cultures,” she waved dismissively. “We’ll find out soon enough- I’m confident it’ll take no time to navigate there.”

“And we’ll be here on land waiting with bated breath for the historical discovery! Now back to-”

Amy muted the TV, her eyes finally adjusting to the dim early morning light. “So she was hired to find some old pirate treasure? Is that what you’re upset about?”

“The treasure she was hired to find happens to contain an ancient Knuckles Clan artifact! You need to get the others and come to Angel Island right away-”

“You’re mad about the possibility that Rouge will find some antique?”

“Antique! Amy-” she could hear him trying to restrain himself. “Listen to me, if this ‘treasure’ falls into the wrong hands, it’s going to be a mess to clean up. Get Sonic and Tails and come here as soon as you can. They’re not answering my calls and we need to speak in person.”

Amy groaned. It was far too early to be thinking about a new dangerous adventure- especially when they’d just stopped one of Eggman’s plots less than a week earlier. “Fine… at least let me have some breakfast first.”

“Make it quick!” he hung up.

“And they say I’m bossy,” Amy grumbled to herself. Before long, the sun’s rays shone brightly throughout her house and sleeping in no longer sounded comfortable. With a sigh, she got ready for the unexpected day ahead.

-----

“I never knew there was a catacomb under the altar…” Amy held a lantern out in front of her as she climbed down the steps.

“That’s ‘cause it’s a secret,” Knuckles responded gruffly. “Come on, I shouldn’t have to tell you to hurry it up!!”

Sonic and Tails trailed behind in a sleep-deprived state. They’d stayed up until morning playing games and were just getting to bed when Amy pounded on the lab door to retrieve them. She still wasn’t sure how Tails managed to land the plane on Angel Island. “Relax, Knux…” Sonic rubbed his eyes as he followed behind Amy.

“I’m gonna fall asleep in here…” Tails yawned.

“No sleeping!” Knuckles sealed the entrance and rushed ahead, leading the way. The rest of the group groaned in unison as they followed.

As they went, Amy noticed a ladybug had hitched a ride on her shoulder. “Aw, wouldn’t want you to get lost down here.” She picked up the small insect on the end of her finger and continued after Knuckles. After coming down a winding staircase and navigating a series of dark corridors, the team arrived in a small room with walls lined with scrolls and small relics with a hard wooden table in the center. Knuckles lit the torches on the walls and sifted through the contents of a stone shelf.

“I have a flashlight, you know,” Tails remarked.

“No flashlights! You’ll damage the texts.”

Tails mumbled under his breath. “I suppose lighting them on fire is better…”

“Quiet- look at this.” Knuckles brought out a large, yellowed scroll and a wooden box. Spreading the scroll across the table revealed what appeared to be a map of the ocean. “This is a map to that treasure Rouge is after.”

“Wait,” Amy interrupted, “You have one, too?”

Knuckles nodded. “This is Captain Scarlett’s map.”

Sonic leaned over the scroll. “Scarlett? Isn’t that the famous lady-pirate? Why do you have that?”

“Because,” Knuckles continued, “300 years ago, that damned pirate plundered the Mystic Ruins for its treasure. This map was found by an Echidna scholar over a century ago and it’s been here ever since.”

“So, this isn’t the first time someone finds part of Scarlett’s treasure?” Tails asked.

Knuckles scoffed. “Hardly. My people have been after that stash of letters that Rouge found for decades. We’ve been trying to keep the contents of ‘Scarlet’s’ treasure a secret since it was discovered what it contains- The Stone Mirror.” The others stared blankly at him, the object he was referring to having no meaning to them. He looked at each of them irately before continuing. “Really? Argh, fine; The Stone Mirror is a powerful artifact that can turn the user into their ‘most desired self’- whatever that means. Apparently, old Scarlett used it 300 years ago to become the world’s best pirate or something.”

“So… you want us to help you look for a magic mirror in the middle of the ocean?” Sonic asked.

Knuckles’ brow twitched. “Did you not just hear what I said? What if Eggman got a hold of this thing?!”

“What’s the big deal? We should be able to fly there-”

“No flying. This map is meant to be navigated by sea. Besides,” Knuckles opened the small box to reveal a compass and a crystal eyepiece. “This map only goes so far. We’ll need these once you get to this point to guide the rest of the way.”

“Let me see that,” Tails took the compass in his hands and waved it around the room. “Does this thing work? It doesn’t even point north.”

“It points to where it has to point once you get here,” Knuckles poked at a red X on the map.

“That literally makes no sense.”

“It’s what the scholar wrote down when she discovered this map!”

As they bickered, Amy carefully picked up the map and held it to the light. As it passed in front of a lantern, writing could be seen across one side of the scroll. The little ladybug that had ridden in on Amy’s shoulder flew onto its surface and crawled around. “Guys, look! There’s something written here.” The boys went silent as they leaned in to get a closer look at the neat cursive script. Amy read it aloud. “Hand in hand we sailed to the horizon that faithful evening. I looked into her glassy eyes for guidance as the sky above turned, Scarlett.”

Sonic shook his head. “This lady sounds lost.”

“Maybe,” said Knuckles, “But our best hope is to follow this map and figure it out from there. And get that bug off the map, would ya?” Amy allowed the little red insect to crawl back onto her hand before replacing the map on the table.

“Yeah, all I’m hearing is we’re gonna get ourselves stranded in the ocean. Count me out.”

“Are you serious?!”

“No way I’m getting on a boat just to get stuck in the middle of the sea,” Sonic crossed his arms stubbornly. “I’ll stay here and look after the Master Emerald.”

“No fair, why do you get to stay?” Tails complained. “I don’t wanna be on a boat, either!”

“I think it sounds fun,” Amy said, watching as the ladybug crawled around on her palm.

“This isn’t a pleasure cruise!” Knuckles yelled.

Tails’ ears drooped. “I’ll say. Sonic’s right, we’re gonna get lost. Don’t you have that scholar’s notes, Knuckles?”

“No.”

“But you know a little about what she wrote; where are they?”

Knuckles grumbled as he crossed his arms. “There was… a small fire…”

“No kidding,” Tails frowned.

“Bah- Will you help me or not? We need to get on a boat ASAP to beat that bat over there- she has all the same information in those documents she found!”

Rolling his eyes, Tails turned back to the map. “Fine. We can take my boat. But I need to take a better look at this map in some proper lighting.”

“Deal,” said Knuckles. “You in, Ames?”

“You can count on me! I already have our costumes planned out,” Amy giggled.

“Costumes…?” It didn’t feel like much of a deal to Tails, who’d just been roped into steering a boat for the next several days in whatever outlandish outfit Amy would choose for him. He rolled up the scroll begrudgingly and gathered the other trinkets into their box. Knuckles turned out the torches as the team spilled out into the corridor and followed him back up to the surface. They all squinted harshly as the mid-morning sun burned their eyes.

“Here you go,” Amy told the ladybug, placing it on a small flower. “Hope you find your way back home okay.” She watched it crawl around a bit before spreading its wings and buzzing away happily. She smiled as it flew off, pleased that it was able to make it back to the surface with her help. Once it was out of her sight, Amy joined her friends in making their plans to sail off in the next few days.

The shiny little insect flew and flew, ascending far higher and speeding up to a far quicker pace than any ladybug reasonably should. It continued off the edge of Angel Island, floating high above the land, the sea, then the clouds. It didn’t take the ladybug very long to reach its destination, flying into a tiny steel vent and into a cold, metallic fortress. Once aboard the Egg Carrier, it made its way into a small lab where it landed on a steel desk, ready to address its master.

“It is about time you returned…”

The ladybug spread its wings once more, this time flying into the minuscule port on a computer that topped the desk. A video appeared on the screen that took up the wall ahead, displaying a first-person view from the bug’s perspective. It flew toward Amy Rose, landing on her shoulder just as she descended into a secret passage.

A young boy’s voice was heard. “I’m gonna fall asleep in here…”

“No sleeping!” a gruff voice responded.

“Aw, wouldn’t want you to get lost down here,” Amy could be heard saying before the view changed to atop her finger.

“Interesting.” Metal Sonic locked his fingers together, resting his chin over his thumbs as he leaned in to listen closely. “What are our little heroes up to now?”

----

The following morning, Eggman raised a brow as he enjoyed his coffee with the early news. A field reporter was live from a marina where a crime was committed earlier that day. The spot at the docks where a historic pirate ship normally floated was empty.

“They just sailed off in her!” a frantic man said on TV. “We had a wedding planned there for this afternoon! What are we supposed to do now?”

The show cut back to the news anchor. “The historic Royal Fortune, the antique pirate ship that still operates tours and events to this day, was stolen early this morning as the thieves marooned the crew on a nearby sandbar. The criminals are described as armored and wearing black hooded cloaks. If anyone has news regarding her whereabouts-”

“Hmm…” Eggman muted the show as he heard a loud, metallic clanking forming from the corridor. Metal Sonic strode in from outside the floating fortress with two Silver Sonic Prototypes close behind. All were mysteriously clad in black hooded cloaks as the small minions each carried oversized boxes above their heads.

Eggman leaned back in his chair to look out through the open doorway. “Metal, where were you so early?”

The three robots stopped in their tracks as Metal Sonic turned around to address him momentarily. “Out.” He continued forward without another word.

“I gave you the ability to talk so you could use it, you know,” Eggman grumbled. He took another sip as a loud doorway could be heard opening and shutting down the hall. With a sigh, the old man shook his head, wondering what the dark cloaks were about. Why would they hide their identities to steal the stupid ship? What is he even up to? he asked himself before going back to his coffee.

Once in the privacy of Metal Sonic’s lab, boxes were ripped open and long capes were thrown aside. Metal Sonic stood in front of a full-length mirror examining his freshly painted armor, glittering gold accents reflecting the dull fluorescent lighting. Each of the pint-sized prototypes had received chromatic silver paint jobs as well to differentiate them from the dozen or so other identical bots that performed various tasks around the airship. They both sorted through the boxes, throwing various period garments about the room haphazardly.

Clothes were strewn everywhere by the time Metal Sonic noticed the mess they were making. “I told you two to find me something to wear, not wreck my lab!” The identical minions looked at one another blankly. One of them picked a pair of stays up from in front of him and held for his master to observe. Metal snatched the undergarment from the smaller robot’s clamps and threw it aside. “That is not what I meant!” He picked up a nearby book and ripped it open to a page containing an illustration of a pirate captain. “Find me this,” he pointed at the pirate’s jacket gruffly.

His claw made a loud CLANG against his forehead, saluting Metal before stretching an extendable arm across the room to retrieve a navy coat with gold accents that had been tossed aside. Once in his possession, Metal Sonic draped it over his shoulders and examined his reflection once more. “Hmm… A bit restrictive. H3, scissors.” The other lackey robot took the command, fetching a pair of scissors from a drawer and presenting them to his master. Metal proceeded to chop the coat up into little more than an open vest adorned with golden epaulets draped with tassels at each shoulder. He belted the reconstructed jacket around his waist and stared at his reflection. “What do you think? Missing something?”

The two henchmen examined the book’s illustration again. One of them shot up and dove into one of the boxes, returning with a tricorn cap. He extended his arm and placed the hat atop Metal Sonic’s head while the other clapped his bulky claws together.

“I don’t know…” Metal rested his hands on his hips pensively. “What are you two wearing?”

H3 and his counterpart, H4, looked toward one another with a shrug. They dug through the pile, each digging out a solid-colored scarf. H3 wrapped his blue one around his head like a bandana while H4 tied a red one to his waist. They looked each other up and down for a few moments before deciding in unison to switch their color choices, H3 snatching the red bandana from his brother and pulling it over his head while H4 made a belt of the blue one after ripping it from atop the other’s head. They high-fived to commemorate the decision, their little clamped hands rattling together as they made contact.

“Fine, fine…” Metal waved them off, glancing back at the book once more. The captain sported a sword at his waist. At the bottom of one of the boxes rested an antique cutlass that resembled the one in the drawing, but dulled at the edge. “Yes… This will do.” He picked up the weapon and brandished it ahead of his body “If Sonic’s friends are dressing for the occasion, so shall we!” he cackled. “H4, make sure this gets sharpened,” he barked as he thrust the sword into the minion's hands. “H3, clean up this mess. I have work to do.”

With that, each of the minions loudly saluted Metal Sonic before attending to their tasks. Metal leaned over his desk as the video of the heroes reappeared on the large screen ahead. He was disappointed to learn that he wouldn’t be facing his rival, Sonic- the coward had decided to stay on land. Metal looked from one of their faces to another before settling on Amy Rose’s cheerful expression. “Yes… She will do.” Metal concocted his plan, reveling in the knowledge that once he obtained the Stone Mirror, he would manifest into a form that not Sonic nor his friends could hope to stand a chance against.

Metal had spent much of the last year spying on Sonic and his friends, waiting for an opportunity when he could be one step ahead. He had grown to resent Eggman and his half-baked plans over the years, existing only as an obstacle to the heroes who always seemed to be prepared. Eggman understood this, or at least knew that Metal had begun taking his own initiative when it came to plotting against his rival. When he caught the robot surveilling the team, he made the decision to encourage him, wanting to take advantage of the part of Metal that could think just like his rival. Soon, Metal had been outfitted with a lab of his own and two henchmen to command. Eggman had upgraded him with the ability to speak and emote more expressly not long after, which Metal found both vexing and enthralling, now taking every opportunity to put his thoughts into words.

But Metal ultimately resented this as well as he had no desire to lean on his master. What he yearned for most greatly was to have the independence and autonomy to act on his own. Though Metal wasn’t disloyal to him, Eggman’s incompetence ironically prevented him from accomplishing his objective of eliminating Sonic. Since then, Metal took what he’d been offered as if a birthright and accepted nothing more, opting to source his own necessities. Everything from research to obtaining materials was to be accomplished by him personally- a task he did not take lightly. And because this was the first- no- the only time he would need to defeat his foes, it only made sense to do it in style.

Perishing the thought that whatever deep-seated programming compelled him to these theatrics was likely due to Eggman’s own influence, Metal had gotten to work studying the life of pirate legend Captain Scarlett. Metal did a poor job at hiding the excitement that befell him as he read everything he could process that regarded pirating. Perhaps it was the high stakes and endless freedom the seafaring criminals seemed to command- and what a very “Sonic” thing to be attracted to. He laughed to himself about his organic counterpart’s apparent fear of the ocean.

Then again, it was probably just the dramatic aesthetics.

The old pirate captain had a flair for the dramatic herself. Metal’s research showed that she often left secret messages in her documents such as the one discovered by Amy Rose in that map of theirs, as well as the letters that had been uncovered. Many of the “mysteries” uncovered through time appeared to be rudimentary puzzles really, it was bewildering how the treasure had remained hidden for so long. Still, he didn’t have a map of his own, and tailing the heroes would only get him so far. Metal knew from past experience that the bubbly girl was rather sympathetic. A savior complex, he thought as he studied his past interactions with her. She was the perfect pawn to manipulate into leading him right to the Stone Mirror.

The video was paused on a frame of Amy and her sunny smile. He recalled their first meeting when he captured her and how helpless she had been; But the girl had grown strong over the years, impressing even him with her combat technique. Amy decidedly wasn’t one to be taken lightly anymore, and he would have to be cautious. The compassion she showed towards most creatures was her real weakness, one that was easy to take advantage of. He played back a compilation of videos he’s taken of Amy Rose; her beaming complexion, the charismatic giggle in her voice, the tender pleading in her eyes…

None of that matters! He shook the thought from his head. What he really needed to understand were the driving factors behind her empathy. What could he use against her? He fast-forwarded to a scene of her and the rest of the group reminiscing about past adventures.

On-screen, Amy sat between Sonic and Tails in the sand, all enjoying an afternoon together at the beach. Knuckles could be heard off-screen. “Yeah, I still can’t believe Amy convinced that robot to let her go! What was it called again?”

“His name was Gamma. Honestly, he was able to think for himself after we became friends- it didn’t take much to convince him that he could disobey Eggman if he wanted to.” she twirled the front of her spines bashfully.

Sonic laughed. “Well good thing you made friends with him! I nearly turned him to scrap metal.”

“Come on, he did a lot of good before… you know.” There was some sadness in her eyes.

“Yeah,” Sonic agreed. “Hey, maybe you could convince Egg-head to do some good for once, too.”

Metal paused the video as they laughed together. “He did a lot of good.” Yes, Metal knew exactly how to get the sweet girl on his side- he was confident it wouldn’t take much convincing on his part, either.

The lab door was suddenly slammed open. “H4, what have I told you about-” Metal paused, faced not with his lackey but with a very animated Eggman.

“Metal! I just saw H4’s new paint job- excellent work! We should outfit all the prototypes with it,” he bellowed.

Narrowing his eyes, Metal turned back toward the screen to brood silently.

Eggman took a few steps into the room before continuing. “Tell me, though, what’s with all the pirate outfits? You putting on a show?” he feigned ignorance over the stolen ship and nudged the box closest to him with his foot. H3 popped his head out from the pile of clothes within with a clanky salute. “This one too, eh? I like the look.” There was no response from Metal but the quickening hum of his turbine as he grew annoyed at the interruption. “That hat will probably impede your hearing, though…”

He continued taking steps into the room, stopping just behind Metal to join him in looking at the screen ahead. It was still paused on a still of Amy looking cheerful. “Studying our heroes again, are we? You sure seem to like this one... She’s pretty cute.”

Metal whipped around to face him once again, this time with blazing eyes. “What are you-”

“I bet you could kidnap her again easily,” Eggman interrupted with a grin and a snap of his fingers.

“Get out!” Metal roared, rising from his seat.

Eggman laughed heartily. “Alright, alright- tell me if you need anything for your little production!”

As the scientist turned on his heel and made his way back toward the open door, H4 was scuttling in with the now sharpened cutlass held carelessly above him. He came to a skidding halt at the sight of Eggman, bringing his hand up to his forehead and dropping the sword noisily on the steel floor in the process. The man cackled at him, bending down to pick up the weapon and examine it. “Nice sword, not that you need it. Teach your lackeys to be a little more careful with sharp objects, hm?” Eggman tossed the sword to Metal, who caught it effortlessly, rolling his eyes.

“... Fine.” he finally responded before taking his seat again and swiveling back toward the giant monitor. He shut off the program that played back the videos.

“Atta boy.” With that, Eggman made his way out of the room. H4 shot out his arm, slamming his claw against a button that shut the door behind him.

The sword gleamed in the harsh lighting as Metal held it up to inspect. Eggman was correct, of course- Metal didn’t need a weapon- he was one. But the added flourish couldn’t hurt, he thought as he swung it through the air, a small WHIP whispering across the room each time he waved it. Metal wouldn’t admit it even to himself, but his creator had a point about his interest in Amy Rose, as well...

An alert flashed on the screen ahead before he could be forced to think about it. “GPS Tracker Activated”. A map popped up showing a blinking red dot, indicating the location of Tails’ boat.

“Finally…” Metal stood, raising a foot on his chair and brandishing the cutlass proudly. “Prepare the ship- we sail at dawn!”

-----

Amy yawned as she got dressed the following morning. The TV was tuned to the news, where a reporter was commenting on the authorities’ inability to find any leads in the case of the Royal Fortune’s theft. “Weird…” Amy remarked to herself out loud. She was tying a blue ascot around the collar of her dress- a white, long-sleeved piece with blue stripes at the hem and cuffs. She had purchased the sailor suit impulsively with the hopes of going sailing leisurely with her friends, but she supposed a maritime mission was occasion enough.

Hearing the whistle of a boat in the distance, she quickly pinned on her hat and slung her duffel bag over her shoulder. She lived on the beach and the boys had agreed to meet her there before sailing off. The whistle howled once more and she hurried out of her little shack, running toward the shore. “I’m here already! Quit hollering,” she grumbled. A steel ladder was lowered and she tossed her bag for Knuckles to catch before climbing her way up.

The boat was nothing like the pirate ship she’d seen on TV that morning. It was a sleek white vessel with blue chrome accents that glittered in the early sunlight. The small yacht was equipped with every manner of boating technology that Tails could cram onto it. A door beneath the elevated helm opened to reveal a set of stairs leading down to the main quarters. Knuckles lugged Amy’s bag over his shoulder, beckoning her to the opening.

“Wait! Before you put that away…” Amy unzipped the front pocket.

Knuckles grumbled. “Before I put it away?”

“Yes, thank you for that,” she chuckled, pulling out a pair of themed hats- a sailor’s cap similar to her own, and a white service cap with gold accents. “I figured you guys would prefer these to clothes.”

“Hmm,” Knuckles examined the headwear as she unfurled each one and held them up. “I suppose a captain’s hat would be fitting…” he reached out to take it from her when Tails suddenly interrupted.

“Uh, my ship- If anyone’s captain, it’s me.”

With an incredulous look, Knuckles turned his chin up to address him. “My mission, my hat- I’m captain. You’re navigating.”

“Oh and I suppose this boat’s gonna steer itself?” Tails said in a mocking tone.

“You think I don’t know how to drive a boat?” Knuckles was yelling now.

“Like I’d let you even if you could.”

“Alright,” Amy interrupted, “That’s enough- we have to be on this boat together for the next week. You two better get along!”

“Fine,” Knuckles crossed his arms. “Who do you think should be captain?”

“Tails,” she responded without hesitation.

“What?!”

Tails snickered from above. “Do you even have a boating license, Knuckles?”

His expression of rage quickly turned blank. His teammates both watched as the gears seemed to turn in his head. “... No.”

Amy and Tails both broke out into a fit of laughter. Knuckles snatched the sailor’s cap from her hand and stomped down the stairs with the duffel bag, grumbling choice words under his breath. “Here you go,” she tossed the captain’s hat up to Tails.

“Thank you,” he smirked triumphantly. “We’re ready to go- let’s let Sonic know before we sail off.” Amy made her way up and stood by him as Tails made a video call on a tablet. Sonic appeared on it a moment later.

“Yo,” he winked. “Looking good, guys.”

“Thank you,” Amy giggled bashfully.

“We’re about to sail,” Tails interjected before she could start chatting. “Everything good on your end?”

“Yep, just me and the Master Emerald. Pretty boring…”

“Don’t let Knuckles hear you say that.”

The three shared a chuckle before Amy and Tails waved to Sonic and signed off. The boat’s ladder ascended from the sand as Tails made the final preparations to sail. Knuckles reemerged from the doorway below as the vessel began moving, shielding his eyes from the sun with his hand.

“Where’s your uniform, skipper?” Tails chortled, noticing that he hadn’t donned the white and blue cap.

“Watch it,” he threatened, eyes fixed on the horizon.

As the boat slid away from the shore and into the open ocean, Tails and Amy chuckled to themselves, ready for the adventure ahead. Unbeknownst to them, however, they weren’t the only ones tracking their whereabouts.

Back at the Egg Carrier, Metal and his lackeys were getting ready to mobilize.

The three bots snuck out of the lab and through the steel corridors, making sure to fly to keep noise to a minimum. It was dark- Eggman either wasn’t up or was too fixated on his work to notice them anyway. Once they reached the outdoor deck, each landed on the edge for a moment, H3 and H4 awaiting commands. “We will stay off their radar by remaining some distance away, and intercept them at this first meeting spot,” Metal explained. “But we need to catch up. Now, to the ship!”

But before he could lift off, a mechanical squeaking caught Metal’s attention from behind. He turned his vision to the distraction, claws outstretched in case someone was trying to stop him. His gaze was met by that of another Silver Sonic Prototype, who then imitated the awkward saluting motion the other two greeted their masters with. Metal narrowed his eyes at him suspiciously but lowered his guard. “What is the meaning of this?”

The small robot seemed to pull a yellow bandana from out of nowhere and quickly tied it below his muzzle, looking back up at Metal Sonic with his permanent sly grin. Metal scratched his chin pensively. “You wish to join us?” The prototype’s joints squeaked as it bobbed its head quickly and violently, causing Metal to slap his hand atop it like he was hitting a switch. “Enough! You’ll alert the others. Hm… State your serial number.” He lifted his right foot to reveal a string of numbers written on the sole, the last of which were “H1.”

“Ah, the very first…” Metal processed the unexpected interruption for a moment. He didn’t know how the robot had discovered his intentions, but there wasn’t much time to lose. At this point taking the additional support with him would at least keep word from getting to Eggman if H1 made a fuss. Metal supposed he could just deactivate him and toss him overboard, but…

“Very well, you may join me... But your outfit needs work. I’ll brief you on the ship- move!”

H1 threw its hands in the air with excitement, the four of them taking off. Metal Sonic lead the charge to the ship anchored about a mile away as they shot down through the high clouds.

-----

“Are we there yet?” Amy groaned from a lounge seat on the upper deck. The excitement from that morning had slowly turned to a boring exhaustion as the day dragged on. It was impossibly hot- the sun’s rays intensified by the inescapable humidity. The sun would be setting in another hour and they’d all been up since dawn, but Amy was the wariest.

“You know this is gonna take days, right?” Tails yawned. He had joined her on the deck while the boat was on auto-pilot, not intending to change direction for some time.

“I thought this first place was supposed to be close…”

“Yeah, it’s only a 12-hour boat ride,” he shrugged sarcastically. “But who knows how far the actual treasure is?”

“You two need to stop your belly-aching, you’re already getting on my nerves.” Knuckles was seated cross-legged on the roof of the helm. The others were sure he’d bake to death.

“Easy for you to say, all you do all day is sit around!” Amy huffed.

Tails checked his tablet, which he’d equipped with a navigator. “We’re actually pretty close… We’ll be coming up on these coordinates in about 20 minutes.”

Amy stretched her arms in an attempt to liven herself up. “Great! Then we have to figure out this weird puzzle…”

“I’m sure it’ll be obvious once we’re there,” said Knuckles. Tails couldn’t help but think he sounded awfully confident for someone who had no idea how to navigate.

“Hey, what is that…?” Tails hurried to take a pair of binoculars from his equipment and ran to the bow, staring into the horizon. The others listened in, Amy sitting up in the chair and squinting her eyes ahead. “Uh, there’s another boat over there… a big one.” The team all scrambled to the front of the boat, trying to look through the binoculars at once. A bright white ship could be seen in the distance- at least three times the size of Tail’s boat but just as modern. As they inched closer, some of the crew could be seen pacing around the main deck.

“Give me those,” Knuckles snatched away the binoculars for himself, zooming in on the ship’s bow as close as he could get them to focus. “You have got to be kidding me…”

“Rouge.” The woman he considered his arch-rival was sauntering about the bow of her ship, the stitched-together map in hand as she conversed with some crewmates. Two men each lugging a huge camera over their shoulder stood on either side of them. Amy and Tails groaned upon hearing Knuckles utter her name with disdain, knowing the squabbling that would come next. He watched as she squinted in the direction of their boat once they were in view of one another.

Tails brought his vessel in close to her ship, which towered above theirs. Rouge had to lean over the side railing to look down at the team. “Oh my, what is it you want?” she frowned.

Knuckles raised a foot to rest on a railing of his own. “We’re after Scarlett’s treasure, and you’re in our way.”

“I mean, they’re not really in our way,” Tails grumbled. “Can you take your foot down from there?”

“Quiet,” Knuckles held a palm up to him, chin still pointed up at Rouge.

One of the cameramen leaned over next to her, pointing his recording device directly at Knuckles. Rouge continued with a smirk. “It looks like we have some competition- not that they stand a chance at finding it before I do.”

Knuckles squinted. “What’s with the cameras?”

“Cameras?” Amy skipped over next to him and waved up at the ship. “Are you guys making a movie?”

“A documentary,” Rouge nodded. “And you look so cute. What do you think of this?” Rouge batted her wings and flew up to hover just above the railing, the camera following her as she did. She wore a brocade bustier over a lacey flared-sleeve linen blouse and fitted black trousers tucked into leather boots. She looked like a true pirate.

“Oh,” Amy beamed, “Gorgeous!”

Knuckles raised his voice as his vexation grew. “What the hell is happening? Why are you dressed like that?”

“Aesthetic,” she shrugged. “And how did you find this place, anyway? Are you tracking us?”

“I’ll have you know that treasure you’re after contains sacred Knuckles Tribe artifacts, and we have Captain Scarlett’s original map.” Knuckles crossed his arms confidently.

“No kidding?” Rouge pouted. “Well, good luck- we’ve been here for hours and can’t figure out where we’re supposed to go from here.”

“Typical!” Knuckles shot back.

“Hmph- If you’re so knowledgeable, hotshot, let’s see you navigate from here!” Rouge flew off out of sight with the cameraman on her heels.

“Whatever-” Knuckles marched up to the helm where Tails had already begun studying the map. “So... where do we go from here?”

“Beats me…” he shrugged.

“Are you serious?”

Amy joined them, picking up the crystal eyeglass and bringing it to her eye. She expected it to magnify things, but it didn’t appear to be a telescope. “Well, this has to have something to do with it. Hmm…”

“Don’t forget the compass.” Tails brought it up to eye-level. “It’s pointing south by south-west. Weird.”

“What did the map say again?”

Tails held it up to the light, reading aloud. “‘Hand in hand we sailed to the horizon that faithful evening. I looked into her glassy eyes for guidance as the sky above turned, Scarlett.’ Whatever that means…”

“‘Sky above turned’... Like, turned to night?” Amy raised the eyepiece up high. The soft blue sky turned an intense shade of cobalt when viewed through the glass. “Ohhh, how pretty,” she remarked. “Glassy eyes…” Amy turned to tails with a gasp.

“The eyeglass!” they said in unison.

“But do we have to look up at the sky during the nighttime then?” Tails scratched his chin.

“I don’t think we’ll see much at night with this thing- it just turns everything blue.”

Knuckles took it from her, glancing through it with one eye. “What’s this even for?”

“I thought it was a spyglass, but it doesn’t magnify anything. It’s just a blue glass at the end.”

“That’s useless…” The three of them pondered on it as the sun neared the horizon. It would be dark soon- they didn’t want to be stuck there trying to figure it out overnight. Both teams were so deep in contemplation that they hardly noticed a third object approaching on their radar until it could be seen in the distance.

“Is that a pirate ship?” Rouge could be heard from her ship’s deck. She flew up to get a better look through a telescope. “Do you guys have anything to do with this?” she accused.

“Uh, definitely not” Tails answered, glancing through his own binoculars. He zoomed in as far as the lenses allowed. A lanky figure with a spiky head could just barely be made out. “Is that… Sonic?”

“What? Gimme those,” Amy yanked them away from him to look. “Hey- isn’t that the pirate ship that was stolen yesterday?”

“You’re right!” Rouge shouted. “And that does look like Sonic…”

Amy gasped in realization. “That’s not Sonic… That’s Metal Sonic.”

“Oh great, now we gotta deal with Eggman, too?” Knuckles groaned. “What could he want?”

The ship was fast approaching. Rouge shouted orders at her crew, instructing them to ready their weapons. The TV crew scrambled around frantically, trying to catch all the action. Amy and Knuckles looked at Tails expectantly, not having anticipated getting into a battle at sea.

“I got this. Everyone get close!” Amy gathered the map, eyepiece, and compass and held onto them tightly as they scurried together at the helm. Tails entered a set of commands and the boat began to separate in two, bisected vertically to make way for an enormous cannon that rose from beneath the deck. The helm was raised up and back, a shield forming around it like a cockpit. “Knuckles, cannon. Amy, be on the lookout from the starboard and stem. I’ll keep an eye on the port side while I steer.”

“Roger!” they shouted in unison.

Metal Sonic’s ship approached from the south, circling around both vessels as it came close. “Ahoy!” his voice came shouting out of a speaker. He cackled as his opponents all seemed to look to one another with bewilderment.

“Could he always talk?” Tails asked his friends.

Amy shuttered. “Not always…”

Rouge’s voice was amplified by a megaphone as she flew above her ship’s bow to address Metal Sonic. “Tell us what The Doctor is up to!”

“‘The Doctor’ has nothing to do with this. I’m here for her,” he extended a long, spiked claw to point directly at Amy, who jumped at the announcement.

“Wh- Me?”

“Yes, you. Now come, join my crew!” His hand closed into a fist as he made the demand. No one was more dumbfounded than Amy. At a loss for words, she looked incredulously at Metal Sonic. “Well, come on, I haven’t got all night.”

Shaking her head of the confusion, Amy finally answered. “Uh… no thanks?”

Everyone turned their attention back to Metal. He narrowed his eyes, crossing his arms behind him authoritatively. “Are you sure?”

All eyes shifted back to Amy. She was red as a tomato at all the attention. “P-positive…”

“Hm, very well.” Metal took some steps back onto the deck of the Royal Fortune, turning away from the others. Rouge held a hand back to her crew, a few of whom stood on the deck behind her with rifles. Tails and Amy glanced at one another while Knuckles held his fighting stance. Then, Metal spoke again. “We’ll do it the hard way, then.”

Without warning, a cannon exploded in the direction of Tails’ boat. The three hit the deck as the cannon fodder made contact and shook the vessel. Rouge’s crew opened fire on Metal Sonic’s ship, making bullet holes in the old wood but leaving the robot unaffected as the ammunition bounced off his body. He gave her a look of boredom.

The sun began to set as it all unfolded, casting a deep ruby light over the environment. Amy struggled to find her balance and retrieve the eyepiece and compass that had rolled around the floor at the collision. The compass slipped out of her grip, too, sliding down the deck just beside the glass. She moved to snatch both pieces up but stopped when she noticed something glowing upon the compass in the light that reflected from the eyepiece. Picking them up carefully, Amy brought the spyglass up to look at the compass through. Drawn across the arrow was another arrow, pointing in the opposite direction. It illuminated as she looked at it through the glass and disappeared otherwise. “‘Sky turned…’ Oh! Scarlett!” The intense red light cast from the sunset had combined with the blue filter on the glass to reveal the otherwise hidden image. Upon turning the compass around, Amy found some text on the back in the same glowing lettering.

“Amy, move!” Knuckles shouted from behind. She didn’t have time to react before she felt a metallic coil snake around her waist and pull her backward. It wasn’t a cannonball that Metal Sonic had fired, it was one of his minions, H3 with his extendable arms. Amy screamed as she suddenly lurched away.

“Hang on-” Tails commanded, turning the cannon sharply and causing the vessel to shutter again. H3 struggled to maintain his balance until Knuckles came up on his side and smashed a fist into his head, sending the bot flying off the side of the boat. He released Amy instinctually, using his arms to latch onto the railing instead.

Amy landed on her feet, the artifacts still in hand. “Tails, the compass! Look!”

“Little busy!” Tails was turning the wheel at the helm frantically, trying to swing the cannon back around to fire back at Metal Sonic.

“We have to hurry before the sun goes down! We need the red light!” She ran back to the safety of the helm, where the shield protected them from the front. The cannon charged as she scrambled to read the inscription aloud in the dimming light. “‘The Mirror’s bloodlust was nothing to me, for I’d have bled myself dry for you.’ Huh? Hey, this mentions the mirror-”

Tails pulled the trigger then, expecting some kickback from the blast. Instead, the entire front of the vessel was launched upward, the shot deflected into the sky; something had come up beneath them, turning the boat up and threatening to sink it. Everyone aboard lost their balance as the boat listed back. Tails managed to hold on by the helm and Knuckles by a side railing, but Amy was sent sliding down, shrieking as she rolled overboard off the stern.

Metal Sonic looked on in a panic as it unfolded. “Nooo!” his eyes blazed down at whatever had emerged from the sea to cause the collision. A huge steel submarine sat with its nose just under the front of the boat. “Aaaaargh!” he roared in realization. The logo plastered on each side of it gave it away- it belonged to Dr. Eggman.

“Attack!” the command could be heard coming from the half-submerged vessel. Two oversized badniks emerged from the water, a crablike robot that crawled up the side of the submarine and began blasting at Rouge’s ship, and another shaped like a torpedo made to resemble a shark which hurdled itself toward Tails’ boat, causing it to shake and list further.

“Amy! Knuckles!” Tails shouted. He was able to kick himself off and fly, taking the map as he looked for his friends.

“Over here,” Knuckles called. He reached up for Tails’ hand. “Where’s Amy?”

As she finally emerged from the water, Amy coughed and waved her arm up frantically. Spotting her, Rouge flew overhead. “I’ve got her!”

“No, you don’t,” Metal Sonic flew into Rouge’s side, kicking her out of the air and into the water with a grunt. He made his way to Amy, lifting her by the arm out of the murky water. She coughed and sputtered, but clutched onto both the compass and spyglass with her other hand. He pulled her up further to hold by the waist at his side as he circled his way around to pick up H3, still dangling off the side of Tails’ boat. He narrowly missed a direct hit from the shark badnik when it leaped out of the water for another hit.

“Be more careful! You are not to hit Metal Sonic!” Eggman’s voice screeched from the submarine.

Metal flew over it on his way back to the ship. “Why are you here?!”

Amy had begun struggling under Metal Sonic’s grip, threatening to hurdle herself back into the ocean. “Let me go! I don’t want to join your weird crew!”

“Stop your squirming! Do you have a death wish?” Just as he finished the statement, Amy wormed her way out from under his arm and fell headfirst toward the water. Thinking fast, Metal chucked H3 toward his ship with a CLANG and dove for her. He was just quick enough to catch the girl before she fell in again, supporting her back and legs against him tightly; she wasn’t going to get out of this one so easily.

“What do you even want with me?” she yelled, trying to push away from him in vain.

Metal looked down at her, forcing eye contact. “... I need you.” He tried to sound sincere.

“What-”

Bullets began raining down on them now that they were directly across from Rouge’s ship. Metal pulled Amy’s body in, deflecting the fire. “Is anyone here sane?!” Amy actually made an effort to cling to him now, drawing her knees as close as she could muster.

“Stop firing, you idiots, he has the girl!” Rouge wailed, finally hovering up and recovering from her run-in with Metal Sonic. “Are you trying to get her killed?!” She landed on the front of the submarine and swung her leg down on the crab robot’s face, splitting it in two. Meanwhile, Knuckles threw his fist into the side of the other badnik and rendered it useless as it flopped back into the water. Tails carried him up to the deck of the ship with Rouge not far behind.

Metal flew into the hole in the side of the ship from which the cannon stuck out, allowing him to take them out of harm’s way faster. He dropped her harshly on her behind once they were inside. “H4, H1, make sure she doesn’t escape,” he commanded before flying up toward the main deck.

“Ouch! Hey, wait- what do you want with me?” Amy got on her feet and was ready to chase after him when a pair of snaky appendages started winding themselves around her. “Not... again!” she wiggled out an arm, summoning her hammer; but another clawed hand shot out and knocked it from her grip, confining her before she could retrieve it. There was no squirming away now. “Metal! Get back down here and tell these things to let me gooo!” she screeched before one of H1’s arms coiled over her mouth like a muffler.

On deck, Metal Sonic hoisted the sails and began navigating away from the battle. Eggman had stuck his head out of the top of the submarine, waving at him. “Great work, Metal! I’ll hold them off.” the old man just barely dodged one of Rouge’s bullets before scurrying back in.

Enraged by The Doctor’s presence, Metal was tempted to disobey and continue fighting out of spite- but he had what he’d come for. Resenting the “help,” he blasted “Stay out of this!” at Eggman as his ship sailed into the darkening horizon.

-----

In the aftermath of the battle, Rouge tramped around the ship shouting orders with cameramen on her heels. Eggman escaped once Metal Sonic had enough of a lead. Now, one of the ship‘s engines was badly damaged and engineers were sent down to make what repairs they could while Tails and Knuckles were given towels to dry off with. They sat in the enclosed cockpit discussing their next steps.

“I can’t believe they sunk my boat…” Tails was sitting with his head in his hands sorrowfully, lamenting the loss of his tech. “All that equipment…”

Knuckles sat with his arms crossed, grumbling. “Yeah, and now we have no chance of getting to the treasure before Rouge…” She marched into the room just then, slamming the door behind her and locking out the camera crew with a huff. Raising a brow, Knuckles addressed her. “Speak of the devil…”

“Don’t start!” she shot back at him. “I just saved your sorry behinds from being stranded at sea. I’m dropping you off at the next port-of-call, so don’t get too comfortable!” Rouge had a towel draped over her shoulders but hadn’t changed out of her wet clothes. She was getting goosebumps in the cool, air-conditioned room.

“We’re stopping? But we need to get to that treasure before Metal Sonic and save Amy!” Tails protested.

She marched up to the helm and pointed at several flashing indicator lights. “We can hardly go anywhere right now. Half the ship is under duress and we need to stop somewhere for repairs. I’m waiting for a tow.” Crossing her arms, she turned away from the pair. “And you are not part of my crew- we’re leaving you ashore.”

“Like hell you are!” Knuckles stomped over to her, placing a gruff hand on her shoulder. She was not amused, slapping it away from her.

“Hands off! Or would you rather we throw you overboard now?”

“And you’re fine with just abandoning Amy, then?”

With a gasp, Rouge whirled around again, hiding the shame on her face. “What do you want me to do? The ship’s barely operational, and I have a crew to think about…”

Knuckles grumbled but didn’t have a response. He hated to admit it, but she was right- they needed a ship to catch up to Metal Sonic, and theirs wouldn’t make it far.

“Can I take a look at the damage, Rouge?” Tails chimed in. They both looked back at him, then at each other.

Rouge shrugged with a slight shiver. “Fine- you probably know better than my best engineer anyway…”

“No doubt,” Knuckles retorted. “Go change, would ya? You look like you’re freezing.”

“Hmph!” she glared at him. Picking up a microphone, she pressed a button that called the engine room. “I’m sending another engineer down, you are to do what he asks.” Once she received confirmation, Rouge slammed her own compass and eyeglass on the counter atop her map. “And figure this out!” With that, she was off, out a side door and into her quarters. The door shut harshly behind her.

“Hm.” Knuckles leaned back on the wall. “Now the question is, where do we go from here?”

“We’ll need a red light to find out. Come on,” Tails snatched up the items she’d left behind and beckoned his friend to join him in the engine room.

“A red-? Huh?”

Ignoring their questions as they went, Tails and Knuckles weaved around the camera crew that still lingered outside the room and headed down into the ship’s depths.

Some miles away, Amy’s muffled yelling could be heard below the deck of Metal Sonic’s ship. He descended the stairs slowly, stopping in front of her. He made a motion as if to clear his throat and addressed the girl. “Apologies for the restraints. I thought you might be liable to tear the ship apart otherwise.” He signaled for H1 to unwrap his arm, allowing her to speak freely.

“I’ll tear you apart first!” she writhed under the metal coils to no avail.

“If you don’t settle down, we will just have to wait for you to tire yourself out,” he shrugged. “And you’ll find there’s nowhere to go at sea but down- so I’d be careful about threatening the captain.”

Amy huffed and puffed but couldn’t get out from under the weight of so many restraints. Panting, she finally relented, raising her intense glare at him. “What do you want?”

Metal let out a mechanical “sigh,” as if exasperated. He stood with his hands at his hips, leaning forward slightly. “I do not wish to harm you…” It wasn’t a lie- not yet, anyway. “I’ll cut to the chase: I am after the Stone Mirror-”

“And why would I help you with that?”

“Silence!” he commanded. Amy scoffed, turning her head away. “Now... Why don’t we speak in private, hm?” With a snap of his metallic fingers, the heavy arms all snaked away from Amy, putting her down on her feet gingerly. She gazed from bot to bot with caution. Metal pointed at the wooden staircase with both arms. “After you.”

“Hmph!” Carefully, Amy made her way past each of Metal Sonic’s minions and then himself. They began up the stairs while he followed her closely. He looked away for a moment to signal something to the others; Amy saw an opening. In an instant, her hammer appeared in her fist as she swung around to smash it into the side of his face, knocking him off the third step and onto the floor.

Metal Sonic shook his head violently as the light in his left eye flickered. Unfortunately for Amy, it didn’t actually impair his vision and he managed to catch up to her in a manner of seconds. H3 was already whipping his arms around and charging at Amy when Metal Sonic came up from behind to restrain her. “H3, stop at once!” The small henchmen dove onto his back at the sudden command, sliding across the deck with his extended arms dangling behind. He crashed into a beam feet-first, causing it to rattle.

Kicking and flailing, Amy was only able to bring her weapon down behind her, repeatedly hammering the top of Metal’s head. “Let! Me! Go!”

“What do you even plan to do once you ‘destroy’ me? I told you, there’s nowhere to go- And stop the incessant hammering!” He pulled one of his arms away from her, seizing her hammer and chucking it overboard. The repeated hits to the head finally took out the LEDs in his left eye as it went out completely. He pushed her away and she turned back to him. To his surprise, the giant mallet was already back in her grip when she did. “What- How? Why?!”

Amy was breathing heavily, holding her hammer to her front defensively. Realistically, she knew he was right- even if she managed to take him and the others out, she’d just be lost at sea. Maybe he really wasn’t trying to hurt her… he had asked that smaller robot to stop attacking, after all. But Amy couldn’t see what good giving him access to the Stone Mirror would do. “What do you want with the mirror, anyway?” she asked, doubting he’d give a straight answer.

Metal Sonic straightened up into a neutral pose, smoothing down his lapel. His glare softened as an eyelid cast down over his functioning eye. “I shall tell you… After you stop dripping all over my deck.” Amy winced, realizing how sopping wet she still was from her dip in the ocean. Saltwater dripped from her quills and dress and had begun to puddle at her feet. “There’s a change of clothes in my quarters. Will you stop being combative and listen?”

Lowering her hammer- but not putting it away- Amy nodded reluctantly. “You first this time.”

“... Very well.” Metal Sonic led the way across the elevated deck to a set of double doors, opening one and motioning for Amy to enter. She hung back suspiciously. Metal rolled the eye he had left and entered first, allowing her to close the door behind them. Once inside, he plopped down on a large armchair, propping his feet up on the wooden table in front of him. “I’ve set something out for you there,” he pointed at an antique screen in the corner of the room. “Try not to take all night.”

Amy’s glare didn’t stray until she was safely behind the screen, when she put away her hammer. There was a frilled white blouse and ankle-length maroon skirt hanging beside some black stockings and red boots. A towel hung over the screen. Is he serious? She hesitated for a moment, wondering how she ever ended up in such a scenario, playing dress-up for one of her worst enemies. But the situation was hopeless if she didn’t comply. She just had to play along and wait for backup for the time being…

After 10 minutes of waiting, Metal grew impatient. “Do you need assistance?” he mocked.

“No!” Amy emerged a moment later, awkwardly shoving the bottom of the shirt into the bell-shaped skirt. She’d slipped the compass and spyglass into each of her sleeves in the absence of pockets. “Thanks for the clothes or whatever, but why this?”

Ignoring her question, Metal stood and approached her. She took a step back. “Hm… Needs accessories.” His heavy steps clopped against the hardwood floor as Metal strode to another box of costumes. He dug out a set of square scarves and made his way back to where she stood, as non-threateningly as possible. Standing silently, Amy crossed her arms over the front of her body; she didn’t know what to expect. “Would you try these on?”

Amy was in disbelief. What did he want with her that required such a costume? She took the large square of fabric from him and examined them, unsure what she was meant to do. “Uh…”

“Allow me.” Metal held out an unassuming arm. The annoyance on Amy’s face was clear as she placed them back in his hand and brought her hands up to her hips impatiently. “Lift your arms.”

“What?”

“These go around your waist. Now, lift your arms.”

She did what he asked with a grumble, gasping as he tightened each of them around her and tied the ends into forceful knots. Metal took a step back and admired her outfit. “Yes, very ‘pirate,’ don’t you think?” He motioned to a floor mirror across the room.

“I guess…” Keeping his reflection in her sights, Amy walked over to it. She was incredibly weirded out by his insistence, but supposed it could have been worse…

Her captor’s reflection grew nearer as he came up next to her, examining his face. “You really did a number on my eye; I’m impressed. But I wonder if it’ll affect…”

“Hrm- I put on your silly outfit, now will you tell me what you want?”

The single burning eye on his face shot at her briefly. Rather than frightened, the girl seemed irritated at the situation. He measured her heart rate- it was consistent with that of a person at rest now. Her behavior was almost admirable. “It is only fair,” he said, taking a seat back at the table. “Sit.”

“Is the word ‘please’ in your vocabulary?” she spat back.

Another eye-roll from Metal. “Please… sit.” Amy complied. She squirmed a bit as she sat, feeling restrained by the many layers around her midsection. She wondered silently if that was part of his plan. “The Stone Mirror. It allows one to become their ‘most desired self,’ is that correct?”

There was no way Metal Sonic should have known that. “I don’t know what you’re on about.”

His eye narrowed at her. “Fine- I will be honest. I know this only from spying on you and your friends. I have nothing to hide.”

“Is admitting it supposed to make it better?”

“No… I suppose not.” He leveraged himself against the table to stand. That glowing eye followed Amy as he paced around the perimeter of the table until he stopped at her side. “I know what the mirror is capable of, and I would like your help to retrieve it.” Leaning back on the table, he pointed at the cuffs of her sleeves. “The compass, if you will…”

“You still haven’t told me why you kidnapped me.”

There was a silent pause. Metal locked his gaze with hers and softened his tone. “You are a compassionate person, Amy Rose. I believe you will understand my need to obtain this artifact.”

“Which is?”

He feigned another sigh. “I am growing tired of being under The Doctor’s command. He has given me some freedom, but…” Looking up, he crossed his arms defensively. “What I am most interested in is my autonomy.” His “acting” would have been impeccable if what he was saying was at all a lie. He hadn’t gotten around to his scheme yet.

“Okay…” The frown on her face told him she was listening, but still wary.

“I do not believe I will be able to achieve that in this form, you see.”

“So, what form are you trying to take? Another giant monster?”

“An organic form,” he responded simply.

Amy was taken aback. “A… A what?” Metal’s engine hummed in the quiet air. He began moving again, circling behind Amy, who didn’t take her eyes off him until he stopped on her other side. She wanted to stare at him intensely, to show that she wasn’t letting her guard down, but there was an impossible longing on his face. It was hard to look directly at him.

“It’s simple- I am a robot. I have an advanced AI far beyond that of others like me, but… There is something missing. This body, although immortal and perfect in design, seems to weigh me down.” He knelt down beside her so he was no longer looming, believing it made him appear more humble. “I wish to think for my own… to feel.”

The moment was uncomfortable. Amy recoiled slightly when he’d come down, trying in vain to avoid locking eyes with him. He sounded so sincere. How could it be possible? “Wh- Why didn’t you just take the compass and run? Why did you have to bring me?”

“I took you so your friends wouldn’t attack me directly and spoil my plans.”

“So I’m a shield?”

“Not quite. I could have taken anyone- I chose you because,” he reached a hand out, gently taking hold of one of hers. She snatched it back with a glare. “Hm. I chose you because I believed you would understand my need and if the necessity arose, you could help me convince your team... I suppose I was mistaken,” he pushed himself upright.

“Wait,” Amy felt like she would regret it, but her good nature didn’t allow her to walk away from someone who seemed so desperate to change for the better- especially an enemy. “Can you… really not be free like this? You seem to have your own will…”

The trap was working. Metal found it easier to keep up the charade than he originally thought. “My thoughts and feelings are simulated. Would you feel ‘free’ if someone could reprogram you and take your memories at any moment?”

“Does… does Eggman do that?”

“... He has.” That wasn’t a lie.

“Oh,” Amy breathed. She held onto her wrists tightly, feeling for the compass and spyglass. This could all be a trap, she could be walking to her doom, and yet… “How do I know you’re not just gonna turn around and transform into something horrible?”

“You don’t. But…” he loomed over her chair slightly. “I will get what I want. You can either help me, or be stranded on the first remote island we come across until your friends rescue you. As it stands, you are only added assurance. The choice is yours.”

So he was back to threatening her. Amy thought about it- he really didn’t need her. If he had evil intentions, Metal Sonic could have just as easily taken what he wanted from her and locked her up, or worse. Instead, he asked for her help. It was unprecedented. Then again, Amy thought she could at the very least stall him- pry into his plan and see if she could discern whether he was being truthful... And it was either that or become a castaway.

She turned back to him with resolve on her face. “Fine, I’ll help you.”

The first phase of the plan was officially a success. Now, all Metal needed to do was keep up the act and use her presence to his advantage should her friends catch up to them. Better not to celebrate, yet- he didn’t want to sound too confident. “Thank you, Amy Rose. I knew I could count on you.” He extended his hand once more, this time waiting for her response. She stood up and shook it with a nod.

“Just Amy is fine. And I hope this means you’ll start thinking for yourself instead of blindly coming after us.”

“Cutting words, Amy…” He may have held her in that handshake a bit harder than necessary as she couldn’t hide the slight wince in her eyes. “Now, the compass.”

A sly smile spread on her face. “No ‘please’?”

Cheeky. Perhaps, Metal thought, she would be more interesting to keep as company than he thought. “Please,” he said in a low growl, drawing her in closer with a harsh tug.

“Ugh,” Amy yanked her hand away from him distastefully. “Here, weirdo.” She pulled the compass from her sleeve and tossed it to him.

“Hm. I believe the next words are ‘thank you.’” Metal examined the compass front and back. “Perhaps you think you’ve stumped me without the little spyglass in the sunset, but…” A purplish glow came from his eye as he cast it down on the navigation device. “I am still a robot, after all.”

With a scoff, Amy crossed her arms. She’d hoped to buy herself some time by not sharing the “solution” with him, but of course, he had a sharp eye. If she wasn’t able to trick him, she’d just have to get in his way.

“An inscription and all. So theatrical,” Metal chuckled. “Even back then, one could simply shine a red light upon this and use the glass filter…”

“You’re one to talk about theatrics.” She wasn’t sure if she should nod toward his outfit or the entire ship.

He let out a metallic laugh. “And here I thought you’d be entertained by all this. Come, we can finally navigate.”

With that, Metal Sonic led Amy out onto the main deck. She followed him cautiously, taking note of her surroundings. Each of the little henchmen clinked their clamped hands to their heads as their master passed. They were cute in their strange little way, their wide smiles making them look silly for the most part. Amy couldn’t help cracking a smile at the one who stood under the roof of the helm. She gave him a little wave and he reacted by springing his arms to the side and doing a handstand. “Pfff!” Amy cracked up.

“H1- stop fooling around. The sails need turning,” Metal demanded. H1 kept Amy giggling as he curled into a ball and rolled down the deck. “I will never know why they are such clowns…”

“Aw, lighten up! They’re fun. Well, when they’re not trying to strangle me.”

Metal ignored her, instead using the compass to navigate. “It seems we just have to go in the opposite direction from where this points. The glowing arrow is hardly necessary.”

“I guess,” Amy shrugged. “Looks cool, though.” She appeared much more relaxed after the quick laugh. Supporting herself on a rail, she looked out into the dark waters. “You can’t see anything out there…”

“Well, you can’t.”

“And pretty soon neither will you. Might wanna start getting acclimated.”

The proud attitude Metal took toward his mechanical body was probably best hidden for the time being. He made a note to dial down the cockiness. “I suppose you have a point. We will light some lanterns, then.”

The great vessel turned gradually in the correct direction as the other minions brought out antique lanterns from the ship’s displays. They did little to light the ship’s way, but Amy at least had a way to see where she was going aboard. Metal Sonic gave her free access to its entirety, but she was more interested in watching the stars from under the unspoiled sky. He observed as she cocked her head up and around to capture what she could with what he only assumed was a much narrower ocular scope than his own. Still, her curiosity was interesting as it unfolded before him. Amy had surely seen the night sky before, yet she craned her head to stare up at it so intently. It was… cute. That word seemed to be thrown in her direction a lot.

Grumbling in her stomach caused Amy to turn her attention to her hunger. She worried there wouldn’t be anything to eat on a ship manned entirely by machines. “Hey,” she called out to him from the lower deck, “uh, do you have any food? I haven’t eaten in a while…”

Food. It hadn’t crossed his mind. Of course, organics liked to- no, needed to eat to survive. He scolded himself for the oversight. “We… did not bring any aboard.”

“Seriously?”

Surely, there had to be something on board as the vessel was operating just two days prior. “The galley, perhaps? Follow me.”

Metal descended the steps that led from the helm and beckoned for Amy to join him in the lower guns. He kept the layout of the ship in his vision as they navigated most of the way into its belly, finally reaching the kitchen down below. Luckily, there was a light switch and Amy was able to put down her lantern as she took in the sight of the huge space.

“Woah… That’s no galley…” she stepped inside, admiring the stainless steel countertops and modern, oversized refrigerators and industrial ovens. “This must be the catering kitchen,” she concluded, opening a fridge. It was full of food just waiting to be prepared.

“Ah, yes. I believe there was to be a wedding here until I commandeered the ship…”

“You took someone’s entire wedding venue?” Amy asked in shock. “I thought you were evil before…”

He supposed that was meant to be a quip, but he didn’t find the humor in her words. Metal walked calmly to one of the stovetops and tested the switch, which was working normally. “It appears everything here is operational. I’ll leave you to it.” He turned on his heel and made for the exit, byt stopped. She would need a place to sleep, too. “I suppose you’ll need sleeping quarters, as well- find me when you’re through and I’ll assign you a room.”

“Uh-huh,” Amy answered half-heartedly. She was too busy deciding what to cook for herself and trying to figure out how to split the huge, catering-sized portions for one.

It took some creativity, but she managed to make something that would last her a couple of meals. Amy didn’t feel great about all the stolen food, but beggars can’t be choosers. Once she’d eaten and cleaned up, Amy picked up the precarious lantern and began her way up the many steps to the main deck. There are modern appliances here and they couldn’t be bothered to get me a flashlight? Amy still didn’t understand what the pirate charade was about, but she had to admit how cute she looked in the historical outfit. Pirates were definitely cooler than sailors; she wished she’d thought of it.

She finally reached the floor below the upper deck to find Metal Sonic sitting at a table in the corridor, wiping and inspecting the blade of a sword. It was creepy. “Hey… I’m done eating.” She held up the lantern awkwardly.

“Have you ever used one of these?” he flicked his wrist, brandishing the sword above him.

“Uh… can’t say I really have.”

“Would you like to?”

Amy clicked her tongue impatiently. “I would like to take a shower and know where I’ll be sleeping.”

The tip of the sword found its way quite startlingly into the wooden table-top as Metal stood. “‘Lighten up,’” he mocked her.

“Are you gonna be this good at copying people when your programming disappears?” Amy did her best to look unphased, but her heart jumped when he stuck the sword into the table. It was beating a bit quicker now.

A monocular, dead-pan stare met her eyes. “Will being organic make me as dull as you?”

Even after years of intense battles and struggling bitterly against him, Amy never wanted to wack Metal Sonic harder than she did then. The whole situation was unbelievably annoying- trapped on a ship with a cocky narcissist. A dangerous one- the thought ran through her mind. Amy had to take a step back- once he changed, if he changed, he would be much less of a threat. If she wasn’t staying aboard for him, she hoped, she was at least doing it for the greater good. That at least gave her some comfort. “Just tell me where it is, I’ll go myself.”

Metal leaned an arm on the table with disinterest. “Down two floors and down the hall to your right. It will be hard to miss.”

“Hmph,” Amy took off, trodding back down the stairs. Other than a short temper, he was impossible to read. She had to find a way to learn more about his intentions.

Amy followed his instructions, arriving in a dark corridor. Amy squinted in the dim light, groping for a light switch. Once she found it, she was in awe. Ornate molding lined the ceiling and fine art hung from the walls. It must have been part of the wedding venue.

She admired the paintings leading down the hall until reaching a door with a gold handle. Bridal Suite was printed on a plaque that hung next to it. Entering, Amy found a bright white room furnished with a canopy bed and vanity, among other lavish furniture. Her irritability quickly melted away as she took in the luxurious surroundings. Maybe staying aboard the strange ship wouldn’t be so bad, after all.

-------

Hi yall so I’m taking a break from writing Unfamiliar as I outline the last few chapters. It’ll be back early 2021 ❤️

ALSO I meant to finish this in time for @metamy-ship-week prompt 7 (free day) but it ended up a lot longer than I expected - hope you don’t mind me tagging it!

Part 2 of this should be up in the next few days! Love yall besos

#metamy #metal sonic x amy rose #metal sonic #amy rose #MetamyShipWeek2020 #metamy week #sonic fanfiction #sth #pirates

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niyana-the-ambiguous-mobian · 5 years ago

Note

Sonic getting winter clothes for the first tome with Maddie because she isn’t going to let him freeze.

@picklesrgreat22

I’m going to be combining these two asks together since they both take place in winter anyway.

Ok Hoo boy this took a looong time to write. But i hope you guys enjoy it! I'm gonna make this one a sequel to the previous prompt I did since that took place in the fall and this one in the winter~.

This Definitely Beats the Cave.

=======

Cold......

I feel so cold.....

Why is it so cold.....?

I haven’t felt cold this intense since.....

The cave.

The cave was always this cold during this time of year.

But I’m not in the cave anymore....

Right?

Feeling a brisk chill in the room woke Sonic from his dreamless sleep, looking around squinting at the light peeking through his curtains.

“Oh, I’m in my room.” He assured himself as he suddenly shivered as curled his body in.

“Why is it so cold in here?” He thought as he tried to find a warm spot under the covers.

He pulled the thick covers closer to his head and curled up underneath to hide away from the cold and try to go back to sleep until he heard the faint voices of Tom and Maddie coming from the kitchen downstairs.

“Typical Saturday” he thought as he slowly woke from his drowsy state. Tom usually had Saturday’s off while Maddie had to work at the veterinary. Since she was still here, she must’ve taken off as well.

“Tom always makes pancakes his ‘famous’ banana pancakes on Saturday.” He smiled slightly as his ear flicked towards the sound of sizzling from the frying pan downstairs.

It’s weird to think that only 7 months ago, he had his heroic battle with the eccentric scientist, Dr. Eggman or more formally known as Dr. Robotnik, but also with it being 6 1/2 months since the day he was taken in by the Wachowski’s, becoming an official member of their family.

Groaning, Sonic pushed the comforter off him as he quickly grabbed a smaller blanket from the corner of his bed and wrapped it around his tiny body. Making his way to the headboard of his race car bed, he wiped away the fog in his window to look outside.

As he went to look, he squinted his eyes against the morning rays coming through his window.

“Geez why is it so bright out today? It’s only 7:15.”

Rubbing his eyes, he looked out again to see frost patterns on the window and snow.....falling?

“It’s snowing?”

Sonic’s face lit up with excitement as he felt his little tails wag back and forth. Actual snow!

It’s been so long since he’s seen this much snow in Green Hills, during this time of year, it was just freezing outside but this year must be different. It must be a new-

His train of thought stopped as he suddenly realized what month it was. The young hedgehog jumped off his bed and zoomed over to his calendar to where the date was circled and words were in red ink.

Christmas Eve

“Oh my gosh” he said shocked as he went to put on his slippers and open the attic door. “I can’t believe I forgot what today is!” As he open up the door, he quickly rolled down the steps in his ball form to the first floor.

Once he got to the bottom, he uncurled and rubbed his head in annoyance. “We really need to get those stairs carpeted.”

Standing up to find his slipper, which had fallen off when he rolled down the stairs, he heard someone calling from the kitchen.

“Sonic?” Maddie called over the volume of the radio. “You okay sweetie?”

“Yeah I’m ok! You gotta tell Tom that he really needs to make these stairs carpeted!”

Tom’s voice cuts in immediately afterwards. “I kept telling you not to roll down them like that Sonic! They’re not designed for stuff like that.”

“Well someone needs to change that rule.” Grudgingly he sprinted over to the table where Maddie was sitting, who was writing out an email for work while Tom was flipping the pancakes on the stove, humming along to the Christmas music on the radio. The newly decorated tree tucked in the corner of the living room, filled with ornaments and family trinkets as the lights dimly glowed.

Maddie smiled and rubbed his head as he sat down next to him before going back to her computer, continuing to talk as she typed.

“So how you feeling knowing what today is?”

Swinging his legs, he looked at her with excitement. “It’s pretty exciting! I’ve never celebrated a holiday like this before.” Pausing as he petted Ozzie’s head as he made his way over to the table.

“I mean yeah I’ve heard about it so many times before from overhearing other people but actually getting that chance to celebrate it? I’m all for it!”

Maddie smiled as she continued to listen to the young teen’s ramblings of how the kids at the school told him about the traditions they’re families do to leaving out milk and cookies for an elderly man that breaks into your house through the chimney to leave presents underneath your tree.

“I mean I don’t get why he comes into people’s house while they’re sleeping, gives us so much gifts but instead of maybe, I don’t know ARREST HIM? all we give him in return is milk and cookies?”

As Maddie went to answer, but Tom beat her to it as he entered the room carry a plate full of banana pancakes and a pitcher of orange juice.

“I mean I guess that’s why he wears a red suit all the time.” He pauses as he sets the food down on the table. “Once he’s caught, he’ll be caught red handed.”

Pausing from her typing, Maddie looked up with a smile and shook her head while Sonic just looked on with a disgusted look straight at Tom.

“Why? Why must you always be so into the puns?”

Pouring the orange juice into Sonic’s cup, he simply shrugged. “I don’t know, I guess I’m just a real punny guy.” He replied as he looked up with sly grin.

Sonic threw back his head, grabbing his ears as he groaned. “UGH MADDIE PLEASE MAKE HIM STOP!”

Tom cracked up with laughter at Sonic’s reaction while Maddie placed her head in her hands, her head shaking but laughing silently as well.

Ozzie looked on at them from the corner of the room, tilting his head in curiosity.

=======

Once the dishes were cleaned up, Tom and Maddie went back upstairs while Sonic zipped over towards the window as he dried his still damp hands, watching the snow falling gently outside. “Man i can’t wait to get out there.” he said quietly as he placed his hand under his chin, arm resting on the windowsill.

“I know what you’re thinking but you’re not going outside just yet.” Maddie’s voice coming from behind him, sounding stern.

Turning around, he saw her with her kneeling against the counter, hands behind her back but her face was filled with seriousness.

“Aww why not yet? I helped clean up and i did my chores yesterday so I didn’t have to do them today!” He pressed, walking towards her.

She tapped her fingers against the counter, tilting her head in surprise at his outburst. “Well probably it’s because you don’t have a warm coat on?”

He went to respond back, but paused in realizing that she was right. Other than that nice red scarf he got back in the fall from his cousin Jojo, he didn’t have any actual winter wear for the snow.

Going outside during this time of year was always difficult when he lived in his cave, but due to his speed, he was always in and out before the cold would really get to him. Even when the cave was colder than usual, he would simply roll in a ball and burrow into layers of clothes that he found during he year until the morning.

Looking up at Maddie, he sighed in defeat. “Ok yeah I don’t have any warm clothes, it just never seemed like an issue until now.“ He mumbled as he stared down at the floor, crossing his arms and rubbing them with his hands.

Maddie, kneeling down placed and hand on his shoulder, the other hand still behind her back. “Well we can start now.” She said with a smile as she revealed a neatly wrapped package from behind her back.

Sonic looked on in shock at the package, taking gently from her hands, sitting down and eagerly ripping into the paper.

Once he opened it, what he saw brought the biggest smile on his face. Inside was a zippered lavender puffer with dark orange snow pants that was just about his size. He quickly grabbed the coat and zipped it up around his body while struggling to put on the pants and walk at the same time.

Moving his arms around, he looked at himself in the reflection of the hallway mirror, marveling at the warmth he was feeling from the material of the outfit.

In the reflection, he could see Maddie smiling at him and he turned around, grinning at her.

“I love it! It’s so warm makes funny noises when I move my arms!” He says as he demonstrates with said promised noise.

Laughing softly, she kneels down to his height and adjusts his coat.

“That’s good to hear. You can consider this an early Christmas present since you can’t wait to get outside.” She looked down at the box on the floor.

“Oh! You almost forgot about this.” She reaches inside to pull out a dark blue beanie winter hat.

“I wanted to get you a hat that’ll stay on your head when you run and due to the quills on your head being really big.” She jokingly said as she snapped the buckle under his chin.

Noticing his silence, she glances at his face, seeing his eyes well up before he quickly wipes them away to smile at her again. “Thank you” his voice cracked with emotion. Maddie smiled as she placed a hand on his cheek caressing it, causing him to close his eyes as he leans into her gentle touch.

“It’s no problem, sweetie.”

Hearing footsteps coming down the stairs, the two looked up to see Tom in full snow gear complete with goggles and mask.

“Alright!” His voice muffled by the scarf around his face. “Let’s brave this weather!”

=======

Clapping his hands together, Tom walked down the driveway with Sonic and Maddie close behind him while Ozzie was jumping around in the blankets of snow on the lawn.

Other than the sound of their feet crunching against the snow, the whole woods felt so quiet. Barely any birds chirping, no sounds of cars driving on the roads in the distance, heck they wasn’t even any snow tracks of the raccoons near the garbage cans.

Turing around to face the two, Tom slapped his arms to his side, putting on a goofy sergeant-esque voice. “All right troopers, our main objective right now is to clear this driveway till there’s no more speck on snow on it. Do I make myself clear?”

Maddie looked at him with one eyebrow raised, hands on her hips while Sonic wasn’t paying him no mind, staring up at the sky and trying to catch snowflakes on his tongue.

Clearing his throat, he repeated it again but this time raising his voice louder.

“I SAID DO I MAKE MYSELF CLE-“

“Yes Thomas!” “Geez we heard you donut lord!”

“Good, now let’s get to work soldiers!” Watching him as he marched towards the end of the driveway, Maddie turned to see Sonic kneeling down near a fresh pile of snow.

He seemed to be placing handprints in the snow, making each one till they all formed a circle with the palms facing the center and the fingers facing outward.

Walking over and kneeling down, she watched as he then drew a circle in the center and used his pointer finger to place holes in the center of it.

Once he finished his new art piece, he kneeled back on his knees smiling fondly at it before his face dropped and his mouth became a tight line. Maddie, noticing this placed a hand on his back.

“You ok?”

He looked up, face never changing as he gazed out onto the snow covered lawn.

“I....used to do this during the winters when I lived in my cave, before I met you and Tom.” He let out a heavy sigh as he looked down at the hand prints. “It would remind me of the flowers that grew in my old home.” He paused, making his hands on his knees into fists, a few blue sparks started flickering from his hat. “They remind me of the flower I last gave to....her.” Maddie felt her heart skip a beat as she well knew who he was talking about.

After Sonic came to live with them. She quickly learned from Tom of the other world where the young teen had originally came from, why he had to leave and who he had to leave behind in order to be safe from harm.

Pulling him into a side hug, she heard Tom’s footsteps crunching against the snow before feeling his arm wrap around her back and seeing him kneel next to Sonic. He lifted his chin to meet Sonic’s eye. “I know Longcalw would be happy for where you are now bud. I sure know we both are.”

Sonic gave a small grin as closed his eyes and melted into their embrace, the sparks quickly fading away.

The three stayed in silence for awhile before the sound of Ozzie’s barking caught they’re attention, as he was trying to chase a squirrel up a tree but only to end up on his back in the snow.

Shaking his head at the dog, Tom stood up to go back shoveling the driveway when he looked down at the hand prints again.

After a second, a thought popped into his mind. “Hey Sonic? You still up on adding something to your bucket list?”

Sonic perked up looking up at him with interest. “You know I’m always up for that challenge.”

Nodding in agreement, he walked out into the part of the lawn where no prints were visible with Sonic walking a foot behind him. Maddie brushing off the snow from her pants and headed back inside the house, calling Ozzie to come inside.

“Ok so this is something I used to do with all the kids when it would snow.”

Crossing his arms, Sonic looked on in confusion as Tom raised his arms....onlu to fall straight back in the snow.

Alarmed he quickly ran to his side, only to see that he started to move his arms and legs back and forth. “We call these snow angels!” He yelled over the sound of his coat against the snow.

Intrigued, he began to sit in the snow, copying Tom’s movements and staring up in the cloudy sky.

“Ok we’re done, here what do you think?” He helped Sonic to his feet as they looked down at the new creations.

“Hmm, It’s fine I guess.” He backed up slightly to get a better angle. “They do kinda look like angels.”

Tilting his head to see the size difference. “Mines looks so small compared to yours”

“Well you are a small fry”

He snapped his head, looking offended “Ok first of all, I’m not that small from before! Second of all, I’m only fourteen so I’m not fully grown yet and Maddie said I’m gonna have a growth spurt soon anyway!”

“Yeah more like fourteen inches.” Tom mumbled under his breath. Unfortunately Sonic had heard that comment and bent down silently to grab a handful of snow.

“Hey Tom?”

“Wh-” *SPLAT*

Tom staggered back as he got a face full of snow, spluttering as he wiped it off his face.

Sonic fell onto his back, holding his stomach as he laughed at the man’s reaction.

“HAHAHA! Oh my god your face was so priceless! Oh man I wish I had a camera.”

Wiping the last of the snow off his face, he looked down at the laughing hedgehog. “Yeah yeah laugh it up, you think you’re so hilarious don’t you?”

He sat up, rubbing tears from his eyes. “I know I’m hilarious” he said with a sly grin.

Tom stared at him with a blank face before an evil grin appeared on his face. “Oh ok.” He said as he started to approach him.

“Uhhh why are you looking at me like th-AUUGH!” He yelped in surprise as Tom grabbed both his legs and swung him over his shoulder, dangling him upside down on the human’s back

“AAAH TOM STOP IT! PUT ME DOWN!”

“Not by a long shot, you caught me off guard so I’m simply returning the favor.” He replied as he started to purposely move his body, causing the hedgehog’s body to move back and forth.

“Ok you can stop now, you’re making me sick.” He tried to sound annoyed but was failing as a few giggles slipped out.

“Well whose fault is that?” He chuckled as he started to gallop his legs, earning more laughs out of Sonic. Hearing the sound of the front door opening (Still at an upside down perspective), he turned his head to see Maddie standing on the porch.

“Maddie! Help! He won’t put me down!”

Kneeling over the railing, she laughed at the sight of her boys playing in the yard. “Thomas Wachowski put him down now before you make him sick!”

“He assaulted a sheriff officer! He made the crime he’s doing the time for it!” He yelled as he continued to run around the yard with Sonic hanging off his back.

Rolling her eyes, she looked at her husband as face became serious.

“Thomas....”

Knowing better than to ignore his wife’s orders a second time, he swung Sonic around and placed him right side up with a look of satisfaction.

With wobbly legs, Sonic struggled to keep his balance, giggling slightly while trying to his distance from Tom just in case he tried to grab him again.

“Ok boys time to come in! It’s getting cold and I got another surprise waiting for you!”

Sonic, shaking off the last of the dizziness, zoomed up the stairs past Maddie into the house while Tom collected the shovels and looked back at the still snow covered driveway. “I guess there’s always tomorrow.”

=======

After hanging up his wet clothes and hat, Sonic took off his shoes and headed towards the couch in the living room where on the coffee table, where 3 large mugs filled with a dark liquid, steam slowly rising from each of them.

“Hey Maddie? Why’d you make us coffee this late? I thought I wasn’t allowed to drink that anymore?”

“Oh you most definitely aren’t allowed to drink it.” Sitting down next to him and opening a bag of marshmallows, putting two in each cup. “And it’s not coffee, this is called hot chocolate”

Watching as she shook a can of whipped cream, Tom entered the room with Ozzie following close behind, finding a spot on the couch next to Sonic to sit. “You guys really love spoiling me don’t you?”

“Don’t get used to it” Tom grunted as he sat in his arm chair, clutching his cup. “By tomorrow morning, things will be hectic again. It’s rare that it’s this quiet.”

Passing a cup to Sonic, Maddie scoffed as she made her cup. “Uh what about the times from before when you’d randomly invite Wade over and watch all those crazy Christmas movies with the volume blaring through the house?”

“Hey How the Grinch Stole Christmas is a classic! It deserves to be watched in its original sound ratio. I’m just ashamed that he doesn’t feel the same way.”

“It’s probably because of how the actor is”

“What’s wrong with the actor?”

“He’s too...eccentric.”

“How is that a bad thing Maddie? It brings more comedic effect.”

“But he kinda goes overboard at times.”

“Hmm why does the sound similar to eggman?” He thought as the two continued their ‘discussion’ about certain actors who are still beloved for being ‘too eccentric.’

The young hedgehog sipped his warm drink as he watched them talk, petting Ozzie on the back as he took a breath, turning around to look out the window into the yard and up to the clear night sky.

He smiled as he took another sip before sitting back down on the couch laying up against the dog, no longer full of doubt.

“I gotta say, This definitely beats the cave”

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andtails · 4 years ago

Text

A Prelude to Chaos Control - Chapter 4: In the City

Click here to start from the beginning. You can also read this story on FanFiction.Net or Archive of Our Own.

*****

“I sure am beat.”

Sonic sat in Knuckles’ modest kitchen, resting his legs up on the table as he chugged a blueberry sports drink, sweat rolling down his fur.

“You said it,” Knuckles replied, entering the room with a training towel around his neck. “I haven’t had that much of a workout in a while.”

“Maybe I should come by more often then?”

“Just not too much.” The echidna and hedgehog chuckled while continuing their banter, relaxing after a few hours of sparring in the clearing surrounding Knuckles’ home.

“I wonder how Tails is doin’?” Sonic asked himself, standing up to get a good view of the Master Emerald shrine from the window. Sonic watched as Tails continued his work, typing away on his laptop, which he had wired to multiple points on the large gem.

“Do you think he’ll actually be able to pull it off?” Knuckles asked, peering out of the kitchen window alongside the blue hedgehog, taking a swig of his cherry sports beverage.

“Knowing my little bro, I have confidence that he’ll accomplish whatever he sets his mind to.”

“But still,” Knuckles interjected, “the thought that one can simply detect chaos energy with some machine seems a bit farfetched, don’t you think?”

Sonic turned his head toward the red echidna. “I don’t pretend to know much about all this science stuff. All I really know is that the emeralds can provide a significant power boost in combat, and finding a way to obtain them faster would place us at a great advantage. If anyone in this world can solve this puzzle, it’ll be my lil’ bro.”

“You sure seem to have a lot of confidence in him.”

“Why wouldn’t I?” Sonic replied, his face tightening as he sat back down at the table. “Ever since we met, Tails has gotten me out of countless jams and helped thwart Eggman’s schemes time and time again. I don’t think I’d be here today without his genius mind…or his friendship.” Sonic placed his arms on the table, looking up at the red echidna. “Yet despite this, he still places a lot of pressure on himself to be perfect, and he takes any mistake as a personal failure.”

Sonic’s voice began to shake as a slight hint of moisture formed over his eyes. “If I had one wish in this world, it’d be to help my little bro, but I just don’t know how, ya know?”

Knuckles, not used to consoling a friend or having these sorts of interpersonal conversations, stood there and looked at the hedgehog. He observed as Sonic turned his attention back to the window, watching the orange kitsune working diligently on his experiment.

This is so unlike Sonic. He must really be stressing out if he came to me, of all people, to talk about his feelings.

“But, what am I sayin’?” Sonic said in a joyful manner, a smile appearing on his face as he got up from his seat. “I’m sure that Tails’ll get the detector working, and we’ll have all the emeralds back in no time.”

“Ahh, okay, then…” Knuckles wasn’t sure how to respond to Sonic’s rapid mood swing.

“Why don’t we go check on him?” Sonic offered as he began walking to the door, taking a last gulp of his drink before throwing the bottle in the trash can along the way.

“Hey, you know we recycle here, right?” Knuckles pointed to the recycling bin next to the garbage can. The recycling container was labeled with three arrows that formed a triangle.

“Oops, sorry man.” Sonic ran a hand through his quills in embarrassment before fishing the bottle out of the trash and placing it in the proper bin. As he headed to the exit, Knuckles placed a hand on his shoulder.

“I may not be the best at this sort of thing, but if you ever need to talk some more, I’m always here.” Sonic looked over his shoulder and gave the red echidna a thumbs up and a smile before leaving the cabin.

*****

Tails stared at his laptop, tinkering with a software application that he had programmed to help analyze the unique energy readings emitted by the emeralds. He carefully studied the monitor, double-checking the software parameters while munching on his box of Mobian Scout™ mint chocolate cookies, allowing dark crumbs to fall onto his keyboard.

“All right, here goes nothing.” Tails clicked a few remaining keys before wiping his face clean of cookie crumbs and following the trail of wires leading from his laptop to the Master Emerald, which stuck to the mystical gem with suction cup-like energy readers. The objective was for the emerald’s chaos energy to transmit through the cables and reach the laptop, where Tails’ application would convert the readings into digestible data for further analysis.

Tails watched as the Master Emerald began to glow with a green aura as streaks of static covered the large gem. Meanwhile, the laptop was beginning to hum louder than usual, its small fans spinning faster to prevent the computer from overheating. The program displayed lines upon lines of numerical data as points on a continuously expanding chart shot up and down.

“It’s working!” The orange kitsune waved a fist in the air in excitement before grounding himself back to the task at hand, anxiously dividing his attention between his laptop and the Master Emerald. It was at this time that Sonic and Knuckles arrived back to the shrine, climbing up the stairs to greet the young fox.

“Hey Tails, how’s it goin’?” the blue hedgehog asked, waving at his younger brother. Instead of waiting for an answer, though, he shifted his focus to the glowing emerald, taking a step back in surprise. Knuckles swiftly stepped sideways to avoid Sonic’s sudden movement before noticing the emerald himself.

“Tails, what’re you doing!” Knuckles yelled, approaching the mystical gem with anger in his eyes. “Can’t you see the Master Emerald is in pain?”

“Huh?” Tails looked at the red echidna in confusion. “What do you mean? I’m only gathering data on the emerald’s chaos energy.” As if not hearing Tails’ explanation, Knuckles approached the gem intending to remove the cables. Before he could, though, a bolt of static shocked his hand, causing the tough echidna to step back, his face tensing up as he growled in pain.

“Knuckles, are you hurt?” Tails asked, approaching him with an outstretched hand.

“No, I’m fine.” Knuckles turned away, tending to his bruised hands before shooting a glance back at the orange kitsune. “So, are you gonna stop this madness?”

“I really don’t know what you mean, I was just—” Tails’ explanation was cut short by the static growing in size around the Master Emerald, the gem’s glow now a piercing light that blinded the trio as the shrine began to shake under their feet.

“Tails,” Sonic said, balancing on one foot as he swung his arms to steady himself. “You gotta stop this!”

“Right.” Tails flew over to his laptop, as walking was now out of the question, and pressed a few keys. As the application closed, Tails looked in bewilderment as the Master Emerald continued to glow violently, the intensity of the static getting stronger. “No, this is impossible! The reaction should’ve subsided by now!”

In a desperate attempt to remedy the situation, Tails tried yanking the cables off the emerald, theorizing that the gem was still transmitting data to the computer, even with the program shut down. Despite his attempts, the suction cups remained in place, firmly rooted to the Master Emerald. Tails moved closer to the green gem, still yanking at the cables, with one in either hand, making no progress.

“Why did I have to fasten these so tight?” Tails struggled to say as he used as much force as his little body could muster to remove the cords. As he gave a final tug, a steady stream of static pulsed out of the Master Emerald, striking Tails on both hands, covering his body in a wave of light.

“Ahhhhh!”

To Sonic and Knuckles’ horror, the orange kitsune remained frozen in place for several seconds, glowing brightly to give them a view of the skeletal outline beneath his skin, before falling to his knees. Tails’ body tumbled sideways, facing the Master Emerald, as he fell out of consciousness.

*****

Tails slowly opened his eyes, blinded by the mid-afternoon sun pouring through the bedroom window of Knuckles’ cabin, to find himself in bed. Sonic was staring intently into his eyes, shifting in his chair as he noticed his younger brother regaining consciousness.

“Tails!” Sonic grabbed his hand. The young fox winced at the pain in his palms. “Ohh, sorry little bro.”

The kitsune raised his head up and looked down at his hands, gloves replaced by white bandages. He attempted to make fists with his hands, but while he was able to successfully move his fingers, pain still shot up his hand, tears forming in his eyes as his lips trembled. Drying his eyes with his right arm, he looked at the concerned hedgehog sitting next to him on the side of the bed.

“How long was I out?”

“About two hours.” Sonic pointed at a clock on the wall, which read two in the afternoon.

“I see,” Tails replied, resting his eyes for a bit, allowing his hands to drop down to his belly, the position that seemed the most comfortable to his injured paws. “And the Master Emerald?”

“The giant rock is fine,” Sonic replied, a small smile returning to his face. “Knuckles is tending to it now. You should’ve seen the look on his face when you got shocked, though. He was so scared!”

“If he was frightened, I can’t imagine how you reacted!”

The two brothers laughed in unison.

“I’m just glad you’re okay, big guy.”

Sonic peered down at the injured fox as he rustled his hair. Tails looked up at the blue hedgehog, wondering if he was imagining the moisture that appeared to be forming in Sonic’s eyes, as if he were about to cry, or if it was merely an optical illusion from the sun’s reflection.

“I’m…sorry…” Tails said, looking down at his palms again, his fingers twitching as feeling returned to his hands.

“Hey, you’ve got nothin’ to apologize for,” Sonic replied, stroking the back of the fox’s head.

“Did I really cause pain to the Master Emerald?” Tails looked back up at the blue hedgehog, tears welling up in his eyes.

“I don’t know for sure,” Sonic replied, holding Tails’ hands, delicately enough to not cause pain, “but nobody believes that you did it on purpose.” The blue hedgehog’s calming voice and rational response helped cool his nerves, fresh tears no longer building up in his eyes. The young kitsune’s face loosened as he looked out the window.

“I’m sure Knuckles is upset with me, huh.” Tails watched as the red echidna shined the Master Emerald, as if attempting to restore the mystical gem after being sullied by his experimentation.

“He was much more concerned with your well-being than that stupid rock,” Sonic replied. “But if you think you’re up to it, we can get you out of bed and walk around, maybe go see ‘im too.”

Tails wiggled his toes to confirm his feet weren’t asleep before pulling himself out of bed. The hedgehog helped steady the orange fox as he placed his feet on the ground before letting him go. Tails wobbled a bit, grabbing onto Sonic’s shoulder before regaining his composure. After releasing him once more, waiting several seconds to make sure he could stand on his own, the young kitsune was able to keep his balance without anyone there to prop him up.

“Now let’s see if you can walk.” Sonic stepped out of the bedroom, beckoning Tails to follow him. Instead, he lost himself in thought, no longer in the company of his big brother.

I don’t understand…how did I survive such a shock with little more than burnt hands? Surely the intensity of the electricity should’ve paralyzed me, or worse…

The young kitsune stood there, pondering his miraculous recovery, his finger to his chin as he continued looking out the window, the sun warming his orange fur.

“Is something wrong?” Sonic asked, poking his head back into the bedroom to check on his little brother.

“No, I’m fine.” Wishing to delay no longer, Tails moved his legs, still wobbly as if his nervous system were still rebooting. Slowly taking a few more steps, however, the orange fox regained the ability to move normally, briskly following Sonic out of the cabin.

The bright sun, light wind, and refreshing aroma of the outdoor air seemed to calm Tails’ mind. He breathed deeply, allowing the air to escape his lungs slowly as he looked across the pristine clearing. He took it all in, forgetting about his injuries and scientific failures for a few moments before turning his eyes to the Master Emerald Shrine, where Knuckles was still shining the large gem with a white rag.

Not wanting to push his luck, but still eager to test his body’s limits after recovering from the electric shock, Tails jogged toward the shrine. Deciding that his legs were okay, and his balance unhindered, he began to spin his namesakes to increase his speed. Thankfully, his tails, or the rest of his body, didn’t seem to be drastically impacted by the accident, just another mystery that rivaled the age-old question of how he was able to rotate his appendages like helicopter propellers in the first place.

Sonic watched as Tails picked up speed.

Man, that little guy recovers fast!

Meeting each other at the foot of the shrine, the two brothers walked up the stone steps to greet Knuckles, who had since dropped his rag and sat down for a break.

“How are you doing, Knuckles?” Tails asked, his voice shaky. He was nervous to confront him after the incident with his Master Emerald.

“Not too bad,” the red echidna replied, looking up at the young kitsune from his seat on the ground. “I should be asking you the same thing.”

“Oh, I’m fine.” Tails smiled as he placed a hand behind his head before pulling it away, forgetting that his palms were more sensitive than usual.

“I’m sorry for yelling at you earlier,” Knuckles said, standing back on his feet. “I just hope you realize why I got so upset.”

“No, no, I should be the one apologizing for hurting the Master Emerald. I feel like I deserve the punishment I received.”

“That’s not true. I may be the guardian of the Master Emerald, sworn to protect it at all costs, but that doesn’t mean your pain was deserved. Besides, I’m sure the Master Emerald recognized you were not actually trying to cause harm.”

“Yeah, I guess.” Tails itched his muzzle. “Hey, Knuckles…does the Master Emerald have…sentience?”

“What does that mean?” Knuckles raised his hand to his chin, attempting to decipher this new word.

“You know…feelings…thoughts…like you and me.”

“Ohh, I see. Well…yes, the Master Emerald does have feelings, and I can use my connection to the emerald to sense these emotions, but it has never spoken to me in words. I felt the emerald’s pain during your experiment, but it didn’t say that you were causing it…it didn’t need to.”

The young fox approached the Master Emerald once more, the gem glistening in the mid-afternoon sun. “If you can understand me, I just want you to know that…I’m sorry...” He placed an injured paw on the large gem as he looked down at the base of the emerald. Surprisingly, his hand didn’t hurt from touching the mystical gem.

Knuckles and Tails stood there in silence. Only the rustling of the wind and the chirping of distant flickys could be heard as they lost themselves in thought. Sonic, who was on the other side of the Master Emerald, came back around and approached his younger brother.

“Hey Tails, you’re gonna wanna take a look at this.” The fox looked up and followed the blue hedgehog to the other side of the shrine, a charred laptop resting on the ground.

At first, the orange kitsune blankly stared at the damaged laptop, coming to the realization that all his hard work, not to mention his injuries, were for nothing, until he realized that not all hope was lost. The fox turned to his smartwatch, pressing a few buttons to reveal a projector-like display that floated over Tails’ wrist, allowing him to interface with its menu by swiping with his hands.

“Aha!” Tails raised a fist in the air and jumped for joy. “This is why I always run back-ups! My laptop saved all the Master Emerald readings to the cloud in real-time. I should be able to work with this.”

“That’s great news!” Sonic said, placing a hand on his shoulder. Tails looked up at his older brother with a smile, content that the work he undertook, and the inadvertent risks that he put the Master Emerald through, paid off in the end.

Their celebration, however, was cut short as the projector’s image of numerical chaos energy data shifted to the face of a small, serious-looking Mobian.

“Hello, come in, Tails,” said a gravely, deep voice from the other end of the call. “This is General Pitliff.” Sonic and company saw him talking into a headset covering his large, gray ears, a green hard hat and military fatigues blanketing his small, furry, puffy body. If not for his stern expression, the frown on his face, and his petrifying stare, the chinchilla would have almost looked cute.

“Listen up,” Pitliff continued, placing a small paw over his exposed ear. “Robotnik is up to his dirty schemes again.” He paused as a car exploded in the background. “We need you and Sonic here to defeat and, hopefully, apprehend the evil doctor.”

“We’re on it,” Tails replied, giving Pitliff a salute with his arm.

“I knew we could count on you.” Pitliff entered a few digits into his smartwatch. “All right, I just sent you the coordinates, the heart of Seaside City. We’ll fend him off until you get here, at which point we will divert our focus to assisting the injured while you take care of Robotnik.”

“Understood,” Tails said as the general ended the call. He turned his attention to Sonic and Knuckles. “Alright, let’s go and kick Eggman’s butt!”

“Hold on a second.” Sonic raised his arms, signaling the young fox to pause as he was about to fly down the stone steps of the shrine. “Is it such a good idea for you to go rushing into battle with your injuries?”

Tails stared at the bandages on his hands. He winced in pain as he attempted to form tight fists.

“I’m…I’m alright, Sonic…honest.”

“I dunno, little buddy. I’m not so sure you’re in a condition to fight.”

Tails stared at his older brother, a look of disbelief appearing on his face. “But I’m your pilot. We can defeat Eggman together, like we always do. And besides, now that Eggman is back, we don’t know what he is planning, or if he has any Chaos Emeralds.”

Sonic looked up at the blue sky while tapping a finger against his chin, pondering Tails’ plea to help.

I am concerned for the little guy, especially with his injuries, and I could just fly the Tornado 2 by myself, but that’d absolutely crush his self-confidence.

“As long as you stay in the plane, I’ll allow it.” The hedgehog folded his arms and lowered his head, closing his eyes as if in deep thought. “I care too much about you to put you in harm’s way.” Sonic’s voice cracked as he looked up at Tails, a smile returning to the blue blur’s face. “But if you promise to keep yourself safe, we could definitely use the air support.”

Tails could’ve sworn that the hedgehog’s eyes were starting to moisten.

He really is concerned for me, huh? Well, all the more reason to make him proud!

Sonic raised a gloved pinkie finger, and the young fox grabbed hold of it with his own bandaged pinkie finger.

“Pinkie swear!” they said in unison.

“Hey guys, not to interrupt your conversation here, but shouldn’t we be heading to Seaside City?”

“You’re right, Knuckles.” Sonic replied. “Let’s go!”

With that, Team Sonic dashed through the clearing and the wooded path, making their way back to the Tornado 2, untouched from their arrival earlier that day.

Tails hopped in the cockpit as Sonic and Knuckles planted their feet on the left and right wings, respectively.

“You sure you’re gonna be comfortable leaving the Master Emerald behind?” Sonic asked as Tails readied for takeoff.

“I don’t like being away from the shrine, yes, but a few hours should be okay. Eggman is the biggest threat to the Master Emerald after all, so I’m still defending the Master Emerald, even if I’m away from the island.”

“I guess,” Sonic replied, shrugging his shoulders. “Hey Tails, are we about ready yet?”

“Almost.” Tails’ fingers were still numb from his injuries, lightly burning as he twisted the knobs and pulled the levers on his control panel. “I know what should make it better!” He reached into his glove compartment to find a new pair of white gloves, replacing the ones destroyed during the incident. “These should provide some padding to help dull the pain.”

He slipped the gloves on gently, careful not to undo the bandages around his hands, before bringing the biplane to life. He spun it around, twisting it 180 degrees on the grassy runway, and rolled forward, picking up enough speed to take off and retract the aircraft’s wheels. The young kitsune looked down at his gloved hands, now lifting the plane as it brought the gang up to a higher elevation.

“Yeah, I think these gloves’ll do nicely.” He grinned to himself as he glanced at either wing, making sure that his two companions didn’t fall into the ocean below. Next, he clicked a few buttons on his smartwatch to transmit General Pitliff’s coordinates to the Tornado 2’s built-in GPS. “Alright!” Tails said to himself. “If we go a little bit faster, we should reach our destination in about 15 minutes.”

And with that, Tails cranked up the speed, the hedgehog and echidna wobbling a bit before regaining their composure, as Team Sonic soared through the sky, on their way to confront Eggman once more.

*****

Seaside Hill was a tropical paradise, sparsely populated by Mobians and primarily visited by tourists eager to enjoy the pleasant waters, warm sun, and ancient architecture the getaway had to offer. Over the years, a city formed nearby, although not close enough to disturb its natural wildlife or pollute its pristine waters. As time passed, the city expanded further away from the coastline that made the region famous. Eventually, a multi-lane interstate highway was constructed through the heart of the city. Tall buildings were developed to house various multi-national corporations that established their roots in the sprawling economically lush business district. New suburban communities seemed to sprout up like wildfire, eager to fill the residential needs of workers who wanted to live away from the hustle and bustle of city life. Indeed, the city was growing at a rapid rate.

The perfect target for Eggman’s nefarious schemes.

As Team Sonic neared the coordinates provided to them by General Pitliff, they spotted the sight and smell of smoke filling the air and a large figure hovering high above the city, higher than the tall buildings of downtown as if waiting for a new challenger to appear from the skies. As the biplane got closer, they got a better view of this entity: a large, silver, mechanical raptor with long talons, a wingspan the length of a semitruck, a razor-sharp beak, and menacing red eyes that glared at the party.

“Why hello there, you miserable pests!” The sound of Eggman’s bellowing voice echoed out of the raptor’s beak. Now approaching within striking distance of the creation, Tails began to circle it, hoping to learn of the evil doctor’s intentions while developing a plan for taking down the raptor.

“All right, Eggman,” Tails said, speaking into his headset, allowing his voice to be heard through external speakers. “What are you up to this time?”

“Wouldn’t you like to know, my furry little friend.” The robot hovered in place as the biplane made its second lap around. “All right, I’ll get right to the point. Hand over whatever Chaos Emeralds you may have in your possession or else I’ll continue terrorizing Seaside City with my Elemental Egg Eagle!” As if on cue, the mechanical eagle let out a deafening cry that sounded nearly identical to the real thing. The orange kitsune’s muscles tensed at the menacing sight before him, but Sonic didn’t seem too worried.

“Elemental whatchamacallit?” Sonic asked, placing his hands on his knees while laughing. “You need to build a robot to help you name these things because you’re lacking in the creativity department!”

“I’ll have you know that it took several days to come up with the perfect name!”

“Doesn’t sound like it to me,” Knuckles replied, pounding his fists together in anticipation for the battle ahead. Sonic followed suit, stretching his arms forward while still maintaining his balance on the unstable wing at his feet.

“Let’s say we show Eggman a thing or two.”

Not waiting for a response from the red echidna, Sonic leapt forward, rolling into a ball as he charged toward the robotic eagle. Knuckles did the same, gliding towards their foe, his arms outstretched in front of him. The two allies made contact, but they ricocheted off the mechanical beast, not even leaving a scratch. Tails expertly caught the two with his biplane, one on either wing, as he continued circling around the eagle.

“Now it’s my turn!” Tails declared, pressing a button on his steering wheel to release a torrent of bullets. Unfortunately, these also bounced off the robotic beast, seemingly having no impact on their foe.

“Wooahhooohoohooo.” Eggman’s jolly laughter was almost as deafening as the eagle’s cry. “Surely you didn’t think that such trivial attacks would stop the Elemental Egg Eagle!”

By this point, Sonic and Knuckles had recovered from their first attack against the raptor and tried again, both launching off the biplane’s wings simultaneously. This time, however, the eagle dodged the attack, soaring upward with a flap of its wings. The blue and red blurs collided, just hard enough to throw Sonic out of his spherical form, as they plummeted to the city below.

Once again, Tails jumped into action, putting his plane into a harrowing nosedive as he swooped down to capture the heroes on the leftmost wing.

“Aha! You fell right into my trap!” Eggman yelled from above.

Tails looked behind him to see what was, perhaps, his worst nightmare, the very thing that he feared most: lightning. The bright streak approached the biplane, originating from the eagle’s beak, hitting the tail of the plane. Electricity sparked along the back of the aircraft, but it didn’t reach the cockpit or the wings thanks to the weather-proofing shock absorbers installed throughout the Tornado 2.

“You’re gonna have to try harder than that, Eggman!” Tails yelled. Before the young fox could reverse his nosedive, however, an emergency alarm rang from the plane. He looked behind once more to discover the fire scorching the plane’s tail. “Damn it!”

“Woah, Tails. Language!” Sonic yelled as he and the red echidna clasped onto the wing, their legs dangling upward as the plane careened to the ground below. Tails ignored this comment, instead trying to steady the plane for an emergency landing.

“Bad news, guys. Looks like we’re gonna have to take this battle to the city.” As Tails announced his plan into his headset, he frantically looked around the cityscape for a suitable place to land his biplane. The tall buildings scattered throughout the downtown area directly below were, perhaps, suitable for a helicopter landing, but he needed a long strip of road to safely land his aircraft without any casualties.

The kitsune found an abandoned stretch of the interstate, a section just long enough for him to land the plane and allow it to roll to a safe stop. Wasting no time, the fox took the plane out of its nosedive, allowing the Tornado 2 to lose altitude as a steadier pace. He steered the plane, positioning it horizontally with the highway below.

“Brace yourselves!” Tails yelled, deploying the wheels as his friends regained their composure from the nosedive. They bent their knees and balanced on the biplane’s wing like a surfboard, using their hands to keep themselves from falling off as the aircraft’s wheels made contact with the cement surface below. As the plane slowly lost speed, the orange kitsune dodged a few burning police cars before the aircraft ground to a halt, almost colliding with a school bus that obstructed the entire stretch of the interstate.

“Great landing, Tails!” Sonic called out, giving the pilot a thumbs up, which Tails returned before opening the hatch protecting the cockpit.

“Woah, hold up there, cowboy.” Sonic looked up at the cockpit, his younger brother about to jump out. “Remember what you promised earlier.” It took a few moments for Tails to recall that he committed to staying in the plane.

“But I can fight, Sonic! You’re gonna need all the help y—”

“Pinkie…swear.” Sonic interrupted the fox’s argument with a stern voice, staring sharply at the pilot. “I’m sorry, but with your injuries, you’d only be a liability on the battlefield. Come on, Knuckles.”

The two jumped off the wing and ran down the interstate, approaching the mechanical raptor that had since descended and hovered in place a short distance away. Sonic dashed off too quickly to see the tears welling-up in Tails’ eyes. He tried to dry them with his gloved hands, but his emotional agony seemed to exacerbate his physical pain, causing him to groan in discomfort. He slumped in his chair, looking down at his feet as tears rolled down his muzzle, dripping to his legs.

“A liability, huh? Is that what you truly think?”

The young fox was too emotionally blinded to realize that Sonic’s comment was narrowly referencing the situation at hand – his injuries making him a more vulnerable target – instead of a poignant attack against his overall usefulness.

“No…” Tails’ voice was scratchy as he spoke through his tears. “I can do anything I set my mind to. I can help you defeat Eggman and prove that I’m no liability.” Drying his tears with his left arm, he jumped out of the aircraft. The fire on the plane’s tail extinguished itself naturally, so the young fox didn’t need to worry about further damage to his prized biplane.

“I’ll be back soon, okay?” Tails said to the Tornado 2, patting its metallic body as if to reassure the aircraft that he’d return safely.

He turned around and ran toward his friends, activating his namesakes for extra speed. The trip only took him a few minutes, even while dodging the debris scattered along the road. Hiding behind a destroyed car to remain undiscovered by Eggman, Tails peeked around the vehicle to find the evil doctor giving one of his famous, albeit annoying monologues.

“Isn’t my Elemental Egg Eagle an eggzzellent invention? It has the speed and agility of a raptor with an impenetrable body and the ability to produce not one…not two…but THREE elemental attacks. As you’ve already witnessed, electricity is one of them. Want to guess what else we have in store?” The eagle, resting its mechanical talons on the cement road, opened its beak while charging a new attack. “Get a load of this!”

The mechanical slave unleashed a stream of fire in Sonic and Knuckles’ direction. Sonic dodged with relative ease while Knuckles left little room for comfort. After jumping to the side, he noticed a warm feeling above his head. A few seconds later, he realized that his fur was on fire. He ducked and rolled around frantically to put out the miniature blaze, leaving a patchy burnt spot near his dreadlocks.

“Ahaha, Knuckles…you should look at yourself in the mirror!” The blue hedgehog laughed as he pointed at the red echidna, unable to control his emotions as Knuckles’ anger grew hotter than the flames he just extinguished. Suffice it to say: unlike Sonic, Knuckles didn’t chuckle.

“This is no laughing matter, you oaf!”

Little did Sonic know, Knuckles was correct. Eggman used this opportunity for the eagle to recharge, its beak gaping open as it gathered the energy necessary to release another flamethrower attack. Sonic quickly stopped laughing and braced himself for another dodge, Knuckles doing the same. Before the bird could launch its attack, however, an orange kitsune ran towards it, passing Sonic and Knuckles by as he held a dummy ring bomb in his outstretched hand.

“Get a load of this you fiend!”

Tails threw the ring directly at the eagle’s beak, landing in its mouth and falling down its throat. The machine’s eyes grew wide, realizing that a foreign object was obstructing the elemental weapons housed in its throat. It tried to gag it out, but it was no good; the bomb stuck itself to the first surface that it touched, making removal almost impossible in the short period of time before detonation. The eagle put its head down, as if conceding defeat, before the beak exploded, shooting shrapnel everywhere as the eagle collapsed to the ground, its wing twitching as if it were a real bird on its last legs.

“Noooooo! Curse that meddlesome fox! Get up, you worthless bucket of bolts!” Miraculously, the eagle obeyed; only its mouth and beak were damaged, so the rest of the mechanical raptor was still intact. The hole in the bird’s face left by the explosion revealed the three elemental cannons that deployed their respective attacks. The two on either side were too damaged to be of use, but the middle weapon was in working order.

“Freeze that fox back to the ice age, or else you’ll be joining your brothers in the junkyard.” Not needing to be threatened again, the eagle began charging the attack, a white mist forming around the hole in its face.

“Now fire!” At a speed even faster than its flame attack, the injured eagle released a stream of ice. The young fox had no time to dodge; the attack hit him directly in the chest, launching him back as the cold stream followed him, the green Chaos Emerald slipping from his utility belt and landing on the cement below.

“Not…the emerald…” Tails struggled to say as his body flew through the air, passing Sonic and Knuckles in the opposite direction before colliding with the side of a school bus. The ice continued its onslaught against his furry body, entombing him completely in a frozen chunk of ice against the bus, save for his head and a single arm.

“Ahhh, I’m…stuck…” Tails tried to wiggle himself free, but he lacked the energy and power to break the ice.

“Tails!” Sonic ran back to him, concern in his eyes as he approached his younger brother. “I’m gonna get you out of this.”

“No…Sonic…” Tails said between labored breaths, his body experiencing a tremendous amount of pain from the cold penetrating his fur and piercing the skin below. He used his head and eyes to turn Sonic’s attention to his free hand, a dummy ring bomb around his wrist. “Take…this bomb…and throw it into…its gullet. That…should weaken it…enough for you…and Knuckles to…bring it…do—”

Tails spoke no more, dangling from the side of the truck.

“Tails…” Sonic placed a hand on his furry face, unresponsive to his gentle touch.

“Tails!”

*****

Click here to read chapter 5!

#sonic the hedgehog #Miles Tails Prower #tails #Tails the Fox #fan fiction #Fan #fiction #Fic #Sonic X #action #Adventure #brotherly

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thatcrazysonicchick · 5 years ago

Text

Come Back to Me, A FanFiction by That Crazy Sonic Chick

~ Act II ~

Amy, 19

Knuckles, 23

Rouge, 22

Tails, 16

One Year Later…

Amy pulled the pillow off of her head. She stretched, letting a squeak escape her lips. Looking out the window across the room, she sat up in her bed, rubbing her tired eyes. The pink hedgehog dropped her fist on the alarm sitting on her nightstand, silencing it. She flopped back down in bed, throwing her arm over her eyes.

"Ugh, why am I so tired?" She thought aloud. "I got a full night of sleep, and so did…" her eyes widened, and snapping up and out of bed, she threw her door open, throwing her head in the doorway of the nursery across the hall from her own room. "The baby!"

She scrambled down the stairs, nearly tripping over her own feet. She looked around frantically in each room, searching and listening for any sign of…

"C'mon, sweetie, open up. Your mother loves strawberries, I'm sure you would too." Amy whipped her head towards the voice coming from the kitchen.

"If she's anything like her father, she's gonna be difficult and make it a game." She peeked around the corner with a relieved sigh, and saw a nicely dressed Rouge holding a spoon full of red goop in a spoon in front of the fussy hoglet, turning her head away from the food. Behind her stood Knuckles, leaning against the fridge with his arms crossed.

"Yes, well, she certainly is stubborn." Amy spoke, revealing herself at the door. Both turned their heads to see an exhausted mother, with bags under her eyes and one heck of a bed head. Knuckles snorted as Rouge stood straight, walking up to her and presenting the jar of baby food and spoon.

"Amy, dear… Your baby is not being very cooperative with her Auntie Rouge this morning… and Chaos, you're looking rough." Amy rolled her eyes and gave a small smile.

"Thanks, Rouge. You always know what to say." She took the baby food and presented it to her daughter. She swatted her hand at the spoon, sending it flying to the floor and threw her head back, with a tiny scream in protest. Amy let out a heavy sigh. "Oh, Nikki…"

"This is why I stick to wardrobe duty." The bat sat, placing all her weight on one leg, resting a hand on her hip.

"And even that's questionable sometimes." Knuckles muttered, reminding others of his presence. “Morning, Amy.”

Rouge scoffed, rolling her eyes.

"Oh please, you put your socks on her on Tuesday."

"Her feet were cold, and I couldn't get her tiny socks on those tiny feet! It was like playing with Cream's dolls back when she was six!"

"Her birthday is coming up, y'know." Amy said, rinsing off the dirty spoon she'd picked up off the floor.

"I know. I can't believe it. Almost ten years old."

"She's turning fourteen, Knuckles." Rouge corrected dryly.

"What?! Fourteen?!" Amy, leaning over the high chair’s surface in front of her, looked back at him over her shoulder, nodding, with a look that said "I know, I can't believe it either."

"At least she's out of her pretend-tea-party phase. Those got pretty awkward." Knuckles chuckled.

"You're not finished yet. Cream already promised me she'd take 'Tea Party Duty' with the little lady." Amy said, booping her little one on the nose with the now clean spoon. "Alright, take two."

"More like take seven." Rouge said.

"Take cover, everyone." Knuckles warned, hiding behind Rouge. He laughed at the dirty look he got from her as Nikki fought once more. Amy pulled the spoon back before it made another trip to the ground.

"I don't understand why she's being cranky. She slept all night, no problem. She's gotta be hungry." She lifted the container to her eye level, reading the label. She giggled, tossing it in the trash and reached in the pantry, pulling out a jar of strawberry baby food. She twisted the lid off, and scooped a small amount out, and with one "Here comes the airplane" later, no fuss, no muss. Nikki happily ate her breakfast.

"What the…?" Knuckles began.

"Airplane?" She's been spending some time with Tails the baby whisperer, huh?" Rouge joked. "That's all it took?" Amy wiped the remaining food off of the child's face and lifted her out of the high chair.

"Who grabbed the jar?" Amy asked, holding messy hedgehog on her hip. Rouge pointed to Knuckles, who had his hand raised. Amy laughed. "Those weren't strawberries. They were beets." Rouge slapped Knuckles up the back of his head. Amy smiled, shaking her head and bringing her to the changing table.

"Hey!" He said, rubbing the back of his head.

"It was in the back of the shelf for a reason!"

"Well how was I supposed to know?"

"She's going to hate me now, thinking that I tried to feed her beets." She pouted, crossing her arms. Amy came back, throwing a dirty diaper in the trash, landing next to the beets.

"You jumped at the opportunity to feed her, but didn't mind leaving diaper duty to me?"

"Sorry, hun. But I've got to draw the line somewhere, and that line is at getting poop stuck under my nails. And I just got a fresh manicure." She said, showing her rhinestone nails off for her to see. Nikki reached out to inspect them. Amy looked over to Knuckles.

"Nope. Not even sorry." He said with a smirk.

"It's probably for the best. She'd either lose her diaper in two minutes or lose circulation in her legs." The man growled as Rouge smirked, kissing him on the cheek.

"Don't worry, Knuckie. You'll get your turn with our children."

"Don't hold your breath." Knuckles said, failing at hiding the heat coming to his face.

"He's right, Rouge." Amy said, handing the baby to her. "I mean, he only proposed after three years of you two dating."

"Chaos knows how long until he actually starts helping me plan the wedding." The woman muttered. "But that's okay. Because the longer Uncle Knuckles waits, the more expensive our wedding is going to be. Isn't that right, my pink little topaz?" She said to Nikki. She only responded with a drip of drool. Amy quickly wiped it away before heading upstairs.

"I'm gonna go clean myself up real quick. Knuckles, what time are we supposed to be at Tails' shop?"

"Uhh…" Knuckles checked his phone. "Thirty two minutes ago."

"Crap." Amy replied in a mutter as she ran up the stairs, before a loud thump echoed down the stairway. "Damn it!" And the door to the bathroom closed.

The couple sat on the living room floor, playing with their God-Daughter. Knuckles let a low laugh escape his lips. Rouge turned her head to him, raising an eyebrow.

"What's so funny?"

"I was thinking maybe you could bedazzle a helmet for this one." He said, tickling the hoglet's feet.

"What?" She was completely lost.

"I'm just saying, if this kid's gonna have her mom's footing and her dad's speed…" Realization hit her in the face.

"...Maybe some matching knee and elbow pads. Just in case."

~ ~ ~

"Tails?" Amy called, peeking her head under the garage door. Knuckles grabbed the bottom of it

and pulled it up enough for them to walk through.

"We're here, man. Where you at?"

"I'm over here!" His voice traveled through the shop, no telling where "over here" was. The two looked around, stepping over wires and around machines.

"Down here!"

"Where's 'here'?" Amy asked. A head popped out from under the Tornado. The fox removed his goggles and looked up at his friends.

"Hey, guys!" He pushed himself out and off of his swivel board, wiping his hands off on a rag, and dusting himself off.

"Why were you under the Tornado?" Knuckles asked.

"Where else would I be?" Tails laughed, patting the side of his plane. "You know she's my pride and joy."

"It's creepy that you refer to it as 'she'." Knuckles said, giving him a weirded out look.

"And it's weird that you refer to the Master Emerald as your friend. Moving on." He retorted, setting his goggles in bis tool box. He hopped up and sat on the edge of his work table. "So, how's Little Miss Nikki?"

"Oh, she's good. I'm finally getting full nights of sleep again."

"That's good to hear. Congratulations." He laughed, leaning back. "The reason I'm asking is because…" He reached back and pulled a nicely wrapped box out from behind him.

"You finally finished it, huh?" Knuckles teased.

"It only took me a couple of months." Tails said, rolling his eyes. "You have no room to talk, Mr. Takes-Too-Long-To-Pull-A-Ring-Out-Of-A-Box." Amy snorted, spitting her tea out and Knuckles balling up his fists.

"That is all I have heard about for the last six months! I did it, that's all that matters. Just drop it already!" Amy and Tails ceased their laughter and shifted their eyes back to the gift in Amy's lap.

"So… what is it?" Amy asked, inspecting the box, weighing it.

"You're gonna have to open it up and find out!" Tails said. "C'mon, hurry up!"

"Tear it up, Amy!" Knuckles encouraged. "Like Nikki and her strawberries." Amy laughed as she peeled the rest of the paper off, and lifted the lid off. She pulled the tissue paper off the top and found a blue surface, in the middle a string with a hook at the end. Lifting it by the hook, she removed the whole thing from the box, setting it on the floor as she inspected her surprise.

“Oh, Tails, it’s beautiful!” She said. It was a mobile. A royal blue surface with a circle of gold rings hung from it, and in the center, an accurate sized model of a green chaos emerald. “I love it!”

“We’re gonna need to tell Rouge that’s a fake.” Knuckles laughed.

“She actually saw it while we were working on it.” Tails said, admiring his work. “She knows it’s a fake.”

“She’s got an eye for anything sparkly. Probably won’t stop her.” Amy teased. Tails laughed.

“Yeah, that’s what Sonic said.” He slowed his laughing down, and all fell silent. Amy’s smile had faded away, and Knuckles set a hand on her shoulder. “...Amy, Sonic helped with this. He actually helped design it.” Tails’ eyes met with Amy’s wet, sparkling eyes. “He never got to see the finished project, but…” he took a deep breath, his own being a little shaky. “He’d be proud of the outcome. And you.” Amy blinked out a single tear, and nodded her head, forcing a smile.

“He’d be proud of all of us. I know it.”

“I can’t believe it’s about to be a year,” Knuckles spoke up. “It doesn’t feel like that long ago.”

“It really doesn’t.” Tails replied, before the room fell silent. The air felt heavy, and as much as they all didn’t like it, it was hard to not think about him throughout the day. For all of them, he was the first thing they thought about in the morning, and the last thing before they fell asleep.

“I miss him.” Amy said, fighting her emotions. Tails hopped down and kneeled at her side, and the two boys hugged her from both sides. Leaning her head on Knuckles and resting her hand on Tails. hand, they all stayed silent, mourning their friend, their brother, their husband. Tails took a deep breath and stepped away, coming back zipping up his coat.

“What are you doing?” Amy asked, wiping a tear away, watching the kitsune prepare to face the cold winter outside.

“I think it’s time we pay Sonic another visit. It’s been a while.” Tails said, placing his earmuffs on.

“Let’s go get some lunch.”

Amy looked over at Knuckles. “I actually do need to go get Cream a birthday gift,” Amy said, setting the mobile back in the box, sliding it securely under his workspace. Knuckles nodded his head, with a smile.

“I don’t think Rouge would mind some extra time with Nikki.” Knuckles said. “Probably use the advantage to make up for feeding her beets.” Amy giggled.

“Rouge got Nikki to eat beets?” Tails said surprised, opening the door and letting the others out first. Both shook their head, laughing.

“I’ll explain on the way.” Amy said, as she tossed her scarf around her neck. Tails looked over his shop, and closed the door behind him.

#sonic the hedgehog #amy rose #sonamy #tails miles prower #tails the fox #knuckles the echidna #rouge the bat #knuxouge #sonamy fanfiction #sonamy fanfictions #sonamy fanfic

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elliotthezubat · 4 years ago

Text

DEATH CITY DAYS CHAPTER 125

[[cont from part 124]]

Crow: *perched on Misaki's shoulder*

misaki: ....*small smile* would you like a name?

Crow: "CAW!"

misaki: *strokes under the crow's neck* how about 'Alistair'?

Alistair: *closes eyes* =w=

misaki: ^^ *starts preparing supper*

Alistair: *flies to a bureau...there's a photo on it*

-it shows a young girl with a man and a woman. they look to be happy-

-the bureau has various knick-knacks, such as an astrolabe, a butterfly display, a mortar and pestle, and various books on anatomy, ornthology, botany, astrology, the occult and more-

Alistair: "..." *head tilt*

-it still looks overcast outside...lightning strikes in the distance*

misaki: !!......(i hope mr pumpkin is keeping dry.....)

-meanwhile-

creature: .......

Pumpkin: *wrings out his coat, hanging it up* -_-# "..." *stares at the Creature* "Don't you get drenched either--" *sneezes--a brief stream of fire escaping his nostrils* =~=#

-it's quiet, save for the sound of rain outside-

Pumpkin: "..." *curls up against a wall* "...I wonder if she avoided the rain walking back."

{sister: *turns around* oh. it's you again. *smiles*}

{Pumpkin: ._. "H-Hi?" *steps in* "Am I bothering you?"}

{sister: not at all. ^^ i see that you've gotten a better handle on speaking now. hehe. ^^}

{Pumpkin: *clutching a book* "Th-This helped. I am returning it..." *holds it out*}

{sister: oh! why thank you. *takes it* ..... *looks around* well, the abbot isnt here right now, perhaps i could help you with this?}

{Pumpkin: ._. "Y-You would?" *looks around...sees chairs*}

{sister: of course.}

{Pumpkin: "...Is that a 'chah-air'?"}

-THUNDER STRIKE-

Pumpkin: "?!!!" *swings around, shrinking back against a wall*

-elsewhere-

Akitaru: *holding an ice pack to his head, lying down in the back of the Matchbox* =~=;

Takehisa: *driving* "..."

Arthur: "..."

shinra:....*ahem* s-so commander...

Akitaru: "Don't try to out-drink Honda..." *sits up* "How you holding up?"

shinra: im fine, sir. but i was asking. *ahem* well, iris suggested that we have a party? n-not to celebrate commander arg's death! it's awful that happened! it's just- well things have been tense for all of us and, well... maybe this could help to build morale?

Akitaru: "...Iris is really smart."

shinra: yeah, she is. *smiles*

Akitaru: "Just let me sleep this off, then we'll get pretty balloons..."

shinra: thanks dad.

Akitaru: *yawns* "You're welcome, son..."

-elsewhere-

hinata: konro's back!

Konro: "Hello, Hinata. You keep the home safe while I was out?"

hinata: yep! we sure did!

hikage: ooooh beni's gonna get soooo scolded for not going!

hinata: 500 yen says he's gonna get spanked!

Konro: "Well, can't settle that unless I know where he is--where'd he go?"

hinata + hikage: he's over by the pond!

Konro: "Then I'm on my way..." *walks to the pond*

Benimaru: *feeding koi*

Konro: "..."

Benimaru: "..."

Konro: "So..."

Benimaru: *grunts*

Konro: "..." *kicks Benimaru into the pond*

hinata + hikage: OOOOOOOHHH!!!

Benimaru: "?!!" *COUGH COUGH* "What the hell?!"

Konro: "You didn't even show up. A man is dead--"

Benimaru: "A man that couldn't even be here for us."

Konro: "...Is that what you think?"

kirei: what happened? i heard a splash- ah!

Benimaru: "..." *stands up, his feet squishing in the mud as he walks* "...He wasn't here when you needed him." *walks by Kirei*

kirei: ah-....konro?

Konro: *scratches the back of his neck* "Sorry...The master was being an ass again."

kirei: ....should i go talk to him?

Konro: "I think that'd help."

-elsewhere-

maki: we're back!

Viktor: *stuck to the wall by scalpels*

argit: *drinking a soda can* oh great.

Akitaru: "You been celebrating?"

argit: eh.

Takehisa: "I suggest we start charging him rent."

nozomi: tamaki! what happened?!

tamaki:....just fell....that's all....

Komori: *patching her up*

Arthur: *stares* "..."

argit: oh yeah, that happened. it was pretty funny.

shinra: NOT COOL, MAN!

argit: ok! ok! cripes, im sorry for laughing! there? ya happy now?

Arthur: "...In this castle...you will not insult or mock anyone in it...or I will slice your tail off and feed it to you."

argit: yeesh! what's your deal?!

shinra: you just shut the fuck up you shitty sonic the hedgehog knockoff!

Arthur: "Yeah, what the demon said, vile rodent!"

argit: D8<

Akitaru: "!!! Boys!"

shinra: *shuts up*

Arthur: >_>;

argit: heh.

Akitaru: "..." *sighs* "We all need some rest--go to your quarters." *pats Argit on the shoulder--and grips him* "Let's talk. In private."

argit: QwQ; *gulp*

-elsewhere-

yuuji: *looks at a box full of posters* are these for me?

Aizawa: "Yeah--figured you need something for the walls."

yuuji: t-thanks....oh sweet, grateful dead!

Aizawa: "??? Something you've listened to?"

yuuji: yeah, i like listening to classic rock from time to time.

Aizawa: "Hmm...Yamada may have some to borrow. Just don't mention 'Stairway' in front of him."

yuuji: i'll...keep that in mind, sir....are....um...are you sure you dont mind?

Aizawa: "I wouldn't be giving them to you if there was a problem--I wanted you to have them."

yuuji: n-not that, i mean...you know...me living here?

Aizawa: "...Ah. ...Not going to lie, a lot of things have ruined my status as the 'longer Pro Hero who looks like a homeless man' vibe. But that kind of disappeared when Midnight tricked me into teaching here."

yuuji: i see.....still, cant help feeling out of place, me being an ex-villain and all...

Aizawa: "...Even heroes come out of unexpected places."

yuuji: ..t-thanks...i suppose.

Aizawa: "No problem...After all--" *unrolls one poster--and tenses up*

{Oboro: "--then this checkerboard room shows up with this little dude dancing around--" *handing Aizawa a VHS tape: 'Twin Peaks'*}

{Aizawa: "Hmm. Not sure this is my thing."}

{Oboro: "Dude--give it a shot already!"}

Yuuji: sir?

Aizawa: *looks at the poster, showing a light signal and mountains* "...Could you knock that 'sir' stuff off--'Shota's' fine."

yuuji: um o-ok s-... mr aizawa.

Aizawa: "..." *head pat* "Sure."

-elsewhere-

greg: *sniffs* it smells delicious, bugbear! ^^

Saria: "You really think so? I'm still trying to perfect this recipe..."

saria's dad: well, you worked so hard on it, so of course it will be great!

Saria: "..." *sighs* "I'm not sure about that...What if it's not hard enough..."

greg: well, if you put your all into something with love, it will turn out well, and even if it doesnt, it's still good because you at least tried.

Saria's Dad: *nom* =w= "So tasty..."

Saria: "..." *sighs* ("That's what they always say.") "May I be excused? I want to do more reading?"

greg: you go do that, we'll save some for later if you get hungry, ok?

Saria: "..." *nods, gathers her books, leaves*

Saria's Dad: "...Did we upset her?"

greg: i hope not...

Saria's Dad: "...Let's put away the leftovers and start on the dishes..." *picks up a plate, one crumb rolling off onto the table*

greg: hmm...

Saria's Dad: *scraps crumbs off the plate into the trash...*

*the crumbs settle at the bottom of the can before the lid closes...then start to shift*

*in saria’s room*

Saria: "..." *checks her phone*

lei-lei: [hey sari! u ok?]

Saria: [worried about tomorrow]

lei-lei: [nervous?]

Saria: [incredibly -~- ]

lei-lei: [understandable.]

Saria: [can we meet up before class? i want to have enough time to put the ingredients away]

lei-lei: [sure! ^w^]

Saria: [thnx. i'll finish reading recipes then head to bed]

lei-lei: [k! C U tomorrow~ \(^o^) ]

Saria: [night] "..." *sighs, opens the 'recipe book' again--* "...What the heck is a 'Black Mercy'?"

-the next day-

Monica: "Mornin', losers."

yolanda: ...

Zarya: "Shh...She's focusing."

Monica: -_-; "Hmph. She's got this in the bag."

lei-lei: *has her apron on*

Saria: *puts some prepared dishes into the fridge* "..." *looks down*

lei-lei: hey, we got this! ^^

Saria: "I hope so--I wasn't feeling confident. But if these recipes work out, maybe I'll be surprised."

lei-lei: that's the spirit!

Saria: *closes the fridge door, smiles lightly*

-the food shifts a bit...then blinks*

Duncan: *looks inside the kitchen* "??? You're doing it wrong--you really should separate the yolks--*

-meanwhile-

yukiko: thanks fer invitin' me as a judge, azusa-san! ^^

Yumi: "We're happy to have you. Have you met Lunch Rush before?"

yukiko: i've heard of 'em.

Lunch Rush: *waves*

Rin: *drooling over the proposed menu* "I am so blessed..."

yukiko: easy there, kiddo. *hair ruffle*

Rin: =_=;

Yumi: "That leaves...Wait, where's Tsubaki?"

-meanwhile-

tsubaki: ._.;

Black Star: "I can't believe they moved the hallways around again! ...Wait, I know a short-cut..." *punches a hole through a hallway wall*

-back at the contest-

Yumi: -_-# "We're going to need a replacement judge--and where am I to find one at this late hour--"

Mephisto: "Hello~"

Rin: *chokes*

lord death: oh! i was half expecting stocking.

Mephisto: "Unfortunately, she's tutoring students--it came up at the last minute."

lord death: i see.

Mephisto: "So, how about Arg's death?"

Rin: ("WHERE IS HIS FREAKING TACT?!")

yukiko: i just want it on record the 7th had nothing to fucking do with that, alright?

Yumi: "No one is accusing anyone, and the internal investigation has concluded that it was a suicide." ("Not that any of us believe that for one second...")

yukiko: tch- i oughta give that department a piece of my mind...

Mephisto: "By the by, Death, I think you have problems with your basement--lot of rats getting into the works down there, if you know what I mean..." *HINT HINT WINK*

Rin: "..." ("He wants an exterminator? What the heck is he talking about?")

lord death: *sigh* we'll see what can be done, but they're elusive little bastards...

Mephisto: "I think you'll need to consider out-sourcing. Rin, for example."

Rin: "?!!! What?!"

*students start entering, dressed like chefs*

Kanin: "Thanks for your help with the vegetarian option--I wanted to offer something that maybe others wouldn't..."

kenji: of course! ^^

Kyoka: *STARING AT THE DISHES* "..." *stomach growl*

Axel: "Mountain Dew chicken and rice FTW!"

Duncan: *grimaces* "You have no class..." *sets down a Jell-O mold*

kyouko: they better not waste anything...

Ragnarok: "Dibs on leftovers!"

Saria: *shakes a bit, but manages to set the dish down carefully...it looks like a very well put-together and delicious quiche*

izumi: it looks delicious!

Saria: "Th-Thanks...I hope I did it right..."

Monica: *pushing people out of the way*

-and so-

Rin: *samples the vegetarian option* "Hmm! This is quite good!" *holds up a sign: 8 out of 10*

yukiko: *nom nom* eh, not terrible. *7/10*

Mephisto: =_=; "Pedestrian. Had better." *holds up a sign: 1 out of 10*

Kanin: ^^; "Worth a shot..."

izumi: wow...

Monica: "Go up and present, girl."

Saria: *watching Yolanda* "..." *gulp*

Lunch Rush: *signing* <What have we here?>

yolanda: well, i decided to make a gumbo that my grandma used to make when we would visit.

Rin: "Oh, cool. I had to make dishes at the church since everyone else's cooking sucked."

-meanwhile-

Fujimoto: "...FFFFFFFFFFFF--"

-back at the contest-

Lunch Rush: <It's good to see dishes with a history!>

Mephisto: =_= "Hmph."

yukiko: *nom* this is really good! i can really taste the spices in it! *9/10*

Rin: *nods* "I think it's super!" *10/10*

Mephisto: "Eh." *2/10*

nagisa: hmm, tough competition.

Crona: "Everyone looks like they put in a lot of work..."

mami: indeed.....*notices someone in the crowd* hm?

Poe: *holding what looks like a stick* "..." *points the stick in different directions*

mami: (what are they doing?)

Mephisto: =~= "How many more entries are there..."

Yumi: -_-# "Just a few more--could you fake interest?"

Mephisto: "I've eaten every dish around the world--five times. Little impresses me..."

Saria: *gulps* *walks up* "H-H-H-Here?"

Poe: "Nothing here..." *points towards the judges' stage*

Karl: *growl wimper*

yukiko: *sniff* smells good enough.

Saria: .~.;

Rin: "That's a unique spice--tastes kinda good!"

Lunch Rush: <Very unique!> *thumbs up*

Mephisto: "..." *tugs on the spoon--and it sticks* "??? ..." *sniff sniff* *eyes widen* "?!!!!!"

Poe: *pointing at Saria's dish* D8 "OH NO!"

izumi: ?!

Saria: Q_Q "Is it really that bad?!"

Quiche: *GURGLES...THEN BLINKS* "..." *SCREAMS*

rowena: !!!! oh no, we're too late....

mami: !!! *soul gem out*

yukiko: shit! *transforms*

Mephisto: "...Okay, I admit, I did not see this comin--"

Quiche Monster: *SWALLOWS MEPHISTO* "..." *BURP*

Yumi: D8

Rin: "...BWHA HA HA HA--"

Quiche Monster: *whips Rin into the wall*

Saria: *stunned*

-people are running away while others join the fight-

kyouko: what the hell is going on?!

Hyde: *snapping pics* "Don't know. But the effects have really gone up this year..."

rowena: sterling rodgers.

Poe: *nods*

Asher: "...The hell is a Sterling Rodgers? A gem?"

rowena: he was a necromancer that hid his spells in cookbooks.

Axel: "People actually do that?"

Yumi: "..." *glares at Poe*

Poe: "It's not my fault! I was moving books, and it was the Nihilque Omnino Liber a Daemonibus Inita--"

Axel: "...That's really wordy."

Asher: "So it's a Food Necronomicon?"

lei-lei: either way, it's a mouthful!

genny: now isnt the time for that!

Poe: "We need the book! I need to apologize to the girl I bumped into and caused all this mess!" >~<

lukas: saria!

*The space where Saria was standing is vacant*

lukas: !!! dammit! *goes to look for her*

yukiko: *fighting the monster*

Axel: "!!! Bro! This is totally going on the bucket list--fighting giant food monsters!"

zeke: hell yeah!

Rin: *stumbles off the wall* "Okay, you quiche bastard! I'm gonna--"

*the Quiche has infected other food, as a spork stabs Rin in the nose*

Rin: "... ... ...AAAAAAAAAAAH--"

Rin: *charges blue flames along his sword* "Now you're gonna get--"

*NOM*

*Rin is now swallowed whole*

kyouko: *slashing at the monsters* RIN! *ATTACKS*

Asher: "...This turned into vore so gradually that I haven't noticed."

hibiki: how do you know what- on second thought i dont want to know.

Asher: >_>; "...Izumi, just hit me against a monster--"

*a flying spaghetti monster lunges at Izumi*

izumi: *dodges out of the way*

-meanwhile-

Saria: *hiding under stairway, sweater pulled up to cover her face*

lei-lei: sari! there you are! come on, the others need us!

Saria: "...This is all my fault..."

lei-lei: sari...

Saria: *whimpers* "I hated it. I hated everything...I felt like I wasn't good enough..."

lei-lei: .....*hug*

Saria: TT~TT "I didn't want to fail and be left behind..."

{Saria, younger: *looking at a recipe book* "??? What's this one, Daddy?"}

{greg: it's a souffle. ^^}

{Saria: "That's sounds funny--" *looks it over* "It looks fluffy!"}

{greg: why dont we make one, all three of us? ^^}

{Saria: 8D "Can we?!" *reaches for the book--but knocks over a glass of water* D8> }

{greg: oh- *chuckle* it's ok bugbear, it was an accident.}

{Saria: "..." *sniffle* "I didn't mean to..."}

{Saria's Dad: "Every problem has a solution--" *shows a roll of paper towels with little ducklings on them* "So we just got to wipe this off and keep going!" *smiles*}

{Saria: "..." *nods* "O-Okay..."}

{greg: *head pat* right!}

Saria: "..." *pulls down the sweater* "I made this mess..."

lei-lei: then let's fix it! ^^

Saria: "..." *nods--and transforms*

lukas: HEEEEELP!! *stuck in the spagetti monster*

lei-lei: *TOSSES SARIA*

Saria: "Lukas!"

lukas: !!! *reaches out*

*good catch!*

nagisa: *attacking the monsters* mami, im about at my limit!

Crona: *swinging Ragnarok into pudding--*

Ragnarok: *SWALLOWS* "..." *burp* "...Hey, this one got tinier!"

*a soup monster crawls on all fours--*

Janitor: "...Soup on all fours? I thought soup would be bipedal..." *desperately trying to clean faster*

Saria: "..." *LIGHT BULB* "That's it! Crona, you're weapon is a genius!"

nagisa: *attacking, when her soul gem darkens, and something comes out of her mouth*

charlotte: MOGEGEGEGEEEEE!

Axel: "...What."

kyouko: shit!

Quiche Monster: *still infecting other food*

Yumi: "There's no spot to fire at!" *keeps shooting*

charlotte: *starts eating the monsters*

Saria: "Do what the worm thing is doing--eat them!"

yukiko: the fuck? that wraith is _helping_ us?

Quiche Monster: *doubles over, groaning* *looks like it's turning blue?*

kyouko: !!!

Quiche Monster: *gurgles--before it gets cooked--and explodes, revealing Rin and Mephisto inside*

Rin: *wielding his blue flames* -_-# "Ugh--nothing worse than overcooked food..."

Mephisto: *licks his finger* "Mmm! Not bad!" *holds up a sign: 6/10*

Ragnarok: *sliding along the floor, mouth opening and closing as he eats* "WAKA WAKA WAKA WAKA--"

kyouko: *cringes* this better not go to waste!

Axel: "Five second rule!" *eats a monster mini-bagel pizza*

-and so-

charlotte: *dissapates*

Yumi: *intense stare at the NOTers and the Occult Club*

nagisa: mmmn... ugh...*RAINBOWBARF*

Crona: ._.; *offers a napkin*

yukiko: what the hell?!

Lunch Rush: <This reminds me of the Austin chili contest fiasco--they still haven't gotten the scent out of the canal...>

Poe + Saria: "I'M SO SORRY!"

lord death: *sigh and tiny chop to them both* next time double check on these things.

Poe: TT~TT "Yes, sir..."

tsubaki: we're he-... ._. what on earth?

Saria: "Please don't fire Mr Poe! It's my fault..."

Black Star: "I told you my shortcut would-- ...YOU STARTED A FOOD FIGHT?! WITHOUT ME?!"

izumi: it's a long story.

Kaoru: "Lord Pheles! I came as soon as I got your alert!"

Mephisto: "There you are, Tsubaki!"

tsubaki: im right here though?

Kaoru: "??? No, I'm Tsubaki."

naho: .w.

Black Star: "..." *PUNCHES KAORU* "STAY AWAY FROM MY WEAPON!"

mahiru: just how many tsubaki's are there?!

Kuro: =_= "This is the stupidest thing I have been involved in all month."

Hyde: "Oh, what up, bro?" *covered in red stuff*

Kuro Cat: *walks in, leaps on Rin's shoulder*

Kuro: "... ... ...Nope."

izumi: you know, i think i learned something today....

Asher: "Cooking was a mistake?"

Axel: "Wash your hands before dinner?"

izumi:.....actually i got nothing i was hoping i'd think of something. ^^;

Monica: "Yolanda is the only one we should let cook."

Mephisto: "We still need to decide a winner...Which dish was not infected by the demon?"

Yumi: *holds up a Jell-O mold*

Mephisto: "Fine, this thing wins."

Duncan: "Ha!"

lei-lei + hibiki + others: WHAT?!

Duncan: "What do I win?!"

Janitor: *hands Duncan a mop* "Clean up duty."

Duncan: 0n0#

-elsewhere-

Todoroki: *staring at a text message* "..." *sets down his phone* "..." *sets his arms on the table, thinking*

fuyumi: ?? everything ok?

Todoroki: "...I got a text from someone claiming to be Natsuo's classmate."

fuyumi: did something happen?!

Todoroki: >_>; "...They said their sister wants my autograph."

fuyumi: ...^^;

*Fuyumi's phone has a text message*

fuyumi: *looks*

Unknown number: [sis someone stole my fone so ignore weirdo messages]

fuyumi: [it's 'phone']

Unknown number: [thats how u know its me :P ]

-elsewhere-

All Might: *coughing, doubled over in the teachers' lounge*

midnight: .-.

All Might: *waves* "I'm fine..." *wipes his mouth* "Just need to take five..." *sits on the couch, reaching for his bottle of water*

midnight: maybe head home for the day, i'll handle the rest of your workload-

All Might: "I-I can't--I'm trying to finish up a training schedule for--" *collapses*

midnight: !! shit! recovery girl! get in here!

*a small siren is heard--as Recovery Girl drives in on a scooter*

-elsewhere-

Shinsou: <So support students don't go on training trips like the hero students?>

mei: nope! besides, i couldnt just leave my babies unattended all summer!

Shinsou: ._.;

mei: alas, not this time. but it'd be nice to see the blonde angel again~<3 huh? oh right!

Shinsou: (" 'Blonde angel'?") <"Oh right" what?>

mei: i wanted to show you something! follow me!

-elsewhere-

NOS: "Absolutely appalling security parameters--I'm asleep how long, yet what advancements have I seen..." *thumbing through psychological profiles of Pro Heroes*

himiko: *brushing the hair of a doll*

Dabi: *looking stuff up on his phone* "Says the 'bot who's running on DVDs and 8-trax."

twice: BUUURN! *hand up for a high five*

Dabi: "..." *back to his phone*

NOS: -_-# "I have upgraded to SSD and cloud storage. So watch it, before I share your search history with the entire group."

shaula: ok boomer.

NOS: "YOU'RE OLDER THAN ME, YOU TROLLOP."

shaula: =3= ruuude.

Kurogiri: "Please do not squabble." *offers Shaula a drink--and passes motor oil to NOS*

kurome: *sips her orange juice*

NOS: "..." *whispers to Himiko* "How old is the child?"

himiko: 4-5 i think?

NOS: "..." ("Do I even want to know how this happened? Or where the mother is? Is there a mother?")

kurome: *looks up* *offers her juice*

NOS: "Um...No, thank you."

-elsewhere-

Kota: *kicks a rock up the path to the cave* "..."

sphinx: there you are, kouta!

calico: mandalay was worried about you.

Kota: "?! Were you following me?!!"

calico: more of we were following your footprints-

sphinx: *elbows her*

calico: >~0

Kota: "?!!! Jerk!" *stamps on Calico's foot*

calico: OWIE! >~<

Kota: *starts running*

sphinx: *runs after him*

calico: ok I’ll just be here. on the ground. hurtin'.

Kota: *trying to get through the trees--*

*SMACK*

*hits a tree branch*

sphinx: *picks him up and carries him back*

Kota: @_@ *looks like his nose is bleeding a bit*

calico: heeeey...

sphinx: *dragging her by the arm*

calico: thank you.

-elsewhere-

Monica: *lifting Saria up by the collar* "YOU APOLOGIZE FOR THIS MESS!"

Saria: TT~TT "I've said I'm sorry, Yolanda--twelve times now!"

yolanda: come on, monica, let her go already...

Monica: "...Tch." *sets Saria down*

Saria: TT~TT "I just look forward to going home after today..."

lukas: mind if i walked you home?

Saria: "I-I'd appreciate that, thanks..."

lukas: *nods and walks with her*

Saria: "...I really screwed this up."

lukas: saria...

Saria: "I just felt like I wasn't good enough...Sometimes I wonder what we're all doing here--the DWMA is not an easy school..."

lukas: ....*hug*

Saria: "...?!" .\\\\\\.

lukas: im not really the best at giving advice, so...i thought this would help...

Saria: "..." *hug* "Th-Thanks..." *sniffle*

lukas:.... .///. well....

Saria: "I-I...I--"

*CRASH*

lukas: ?!?!?!

Saria's Dad: "I got another one!" *holds up a mini-Waffle Man on a fork*

Waffle-Man: "UNHAND ME, MORTAL--"

greg: EEEEP!! >~<;;

Saria's Dad: *nom*

Saria: D8>

greg: BUGBEAR, HELP!! DX>

Saria: O_O; "I am so grounded...Lukas, will you do the honors?" *transforms*

-elsewhere-

Charon: *rubbing his shoulder* "Take five." *walks away from a bloodied Hood*

hood: *groan*

arrow:....

Charon: *walks into the infirmary, opens the freezer for an ice pack*

Sho: *hiding behind Arrow* "..." *looks around her at the victim*

arrow:......

Sho: *cringes, holding his chest*

arrow:......*looks at sho, worried*

Sho: "I-I'll go back to my room now..." *walks to leave--and bumps into someone*

Hood 2: "?!!!! I'M SO SORRY! PLEASE FORGIVE ME!" *bows in front of Sho*

arrow: ??

Sho: "No, it's fine--"

*slice*

Hood 2: *falls down, unconscious*

arrow: !!

Haumea: "Hmph." *steps on Hood 2* "No courtesy from these lemmings. Get this one back to the infirmary."

arrow:......

Sho: "..." *grabs Arrow's hand* "Take me back..."

arrow:....of course, my lord....

Hood 2: *dragged to the infirmary, blood spread down the hall...*

Sho: *shaking*

arrow:......

Inka: "Yo, Sho!" *waves*

Sho: *hides by Arrow's side*

arrow: inka, he's not in the mood for this.

Inka: "Come on--he's rarely makes any appearances anymore! How about we go pester the moles a bit more--" *starts poking Sho in the cheek--*

*CHOMP*

Inka: "... ..." *screams*

arrow: !!

Sho: *lets go of Inka's finger*

Inka: "WHAT THE HELL?!" *clutching her hand* "...At least do the other one, too--"

arrow: *glares at her before walking off with sho in tow*

Sho: "..." *starts crying as they near his door*

arrow:.......

Sho: *falls onto his bed, face-down in his pillow* *muttering* "I wish I was..."

arrow: with your brother....right?

Sho: "Dead."

arrow:.........*hugs him*

Sho: *sobs into her shoulder* "I'm a monster..."

arrow: *rubs his back*

Sho: *hiccups and cries himself until he passes out*

arrow:.....(we cant....stay here anymore.....we'll likely be on the run for the rest of our lives, but he cant...he cant stay in this place.....)

Sho: "Zzz..."

arrow:.....(we'll leave this place....even if it kills me....)

-elsewhere-

Vector: *at a burger stand* <You ever seen this man?> *holds up a photo of Luke*

kid: <wasnt he on TV a while back?>

Vector: <He was in that Robot Fight in IC Prefecture--before that terrorist attack.>

kid: <oh yeah...i think he died or somethin?>

Vector: <...Yeah, sure, that's it.> *groans* <Do you have a veggie burger?>

-elsewhere-

Rin: =_=# "It was such a mess..."

kyouko: TT~TT

Fujimoto: "So let me get this straight--someone who wants to become the next Paladin got eaten alive by a demon foodstuff. ...Excuse me." *turns away--and starts laughing uproariously*

Rin: >_<# "IT'S NOT FUNNY, YOU OLD FART!"

kyouko: so much wasted food....

Fujimoto: "What, didn't anyone eat the leftovers?"

-elsewhere-

nagisa: *laying on the couch, clutching her stomach* =~=

mami:.....

Crona: "Would you like more ginger ale?"

nagisa: *nods*

Crona: *pours some*

Ragnarok: *stomach expanded* =w= "We were eating fine today~"

mami: *thinking about how charlotte appeared as nagisa's soul gem was darkened* hmmm...

sayaka: and you're sure you dont remember anything?

nagisa: *shakes head* not really, i just kinda blacked out...

sayaka: hmmm, i think it's like what happened to me in hoozuki...only i didnt lose consciousness...do you think it has something to do with that marble we got off those white hooded twins back then?

mami: perhaps....

Crona: "..."

Ragnarok: *nods off*

mami: homura mentioned something about a dream she had the other night. a dream that said to go to kamihama city...

sayaka: KAMIHAMA!? the magical girl capitol of, like, the whole world probably?!

Ragnarok: "Ngh, be quiet..." *tosses a couch pillow at Sayaka*

Crona: ._.; "May be worth a look?"

mami: perhaps.....from what i've heard, similar cases have been happening in kamihama in recent years as well...

Crona: "Want to call in assistance?"

mami: a good idea...

-elsewhere-

Pumpkin: *pulled in against the rain*

-footsteps are heard-

Pumpkin: *alert, conjures a shield*

misaki: mr pumpkin, are you in?

Pumpkin: "...You."

misaki: *small smile*

Pumpkin: "...Why are you here? It's miserable out."

misaki: i was....i was worried for you.

Pumpkin: "Hmph. There's no concern for that--" *his arm, wet from the rain, falls off*

misaki: oh!!

Pumpkin: "...It-It grows back...I swear." >_>;

misaki: *picks up the arm and hands it to him*

Pumpkin: "..." *nods, reattaches it...* "..." *sniffle*

misaki:....*offers her umbrella*

Pumpkin: "...Thank you."

misaki: *smiles*.....say.....if you wanted....you could stay at my house for a while.....s-sorry, that was a bit forward, wasnt it?

Pumpkin: "...How the hell am I supposed to do that? I stick out like...do you have 'sore thumbs' in this dimensions?"

misaki: it's quite alright. i live alone...well, there is that crow, alistair, but....

Pumpkin: "YOU NAMED THAT WINGED BEAST?"

{Imaginary Alistair: "CAH HA HA HA~"}

misaki: ^^;;

Pumpkin: "I assure you, I need no chari--charit--AH-CHOO!" *sneezes fire--then collapses*

misaki: !!!! *helps him up*

Pumpkin: *he looks barely conscious*

misaki:......*helping him walk*

-in asunaro-

???: *running through back alleys while two hooded figures are in pursuit*

???: "We're getting closer."

-the person reaches a dead end-

???: SHIT!!

???: well, you dont have anywhere to run now, so you may as well join us. right tsukasa?

Tsukasa: "Please say 'yes'--it makes things more pleasant."

???: tch- you really think im willing to go with you after you attacked me?! fat chance!! besides, what you're talking about, it's crazy!

tsukuyo:....well, that is rather unfortunate...wouldnt _you_ agree?

???: i said- *freezes as she feels something in the shadows behind her*

Demongo: "Hello~"

???: !!! g-get the hell away from me!!

tsukuyo: my apologies, akane sumire, but you made your choice...

akane sumire: s-stay the hell back you freak!!

Demongo: *his skull-mouth opens wide* "AAAAAAAAAH--"

-sumire can barely let out a cry for help-

-VREEEN-

tsukuyo:.....nn...

Demongo: =w=

Tsukasa: "Well..."

tsukuyo: that was unfortunate....oh well, whats done is done....let's go, the magius will be expecting us back in kamihama by tomorrow...

Demongo: "Give me a second--got to walk this off...Need to jog more..." *follows*

-not too far away, a figure watches them-

???: "My, my, my; what lovely gems~"

-morning-

mirai: uuuugh, it's too hoooooooot!! =~=

Umika: "Yes, summer tends to be warm."

kaoru: let's go to the beach!

niko: im not fond of sand. its gritty and it gets everywhere.

Saki: "Okay, Anakin."

mirai: i agree with niko, the only swimsuit i look ok in is a school swimsuit and people will laugh at me!

Satomi: "How about camping? We could even see wildlife up close and personal."

mirai: good idea, saki, umika?

Umika: "Beach."

Saki: "Beach."

niko: it appears we're at a tie, then...

Umika: "I guess that leaves it up to Kazumi."

kazumi: leave what up to me? *her hair is complete bedhead*

kaoru: *SNRK*

Umika: *clears her throat* "We were thinking of a summer trip. Would you prefer the beach or camping?"

mirai: we're half-and-half on what we want to do.

kazumi: ...well, summer break is until september, right?

Saki: "Uh huh?"

kazumi: it's july right now, so there's no reason we cant do both, right?

kaoru:....she's got a point.

Saki: "...I suppose so?"

niko: that still doesnt answer the question.

kazumi:..... .n.; coin flip?

Umika: "Heads beach, tails camping...Who has a coin?"

niko: *holds one up*

Saki: "Flip it.”

-HEADS-

kaoru: wahoo!

Saki: "Neat!"

mirai: *siiiiigh* i'll go get my stupid swimsuit then. =A=

niko: at least the water will cool you off. plus better wifi.

Umika: "Kazumi, we should get you a new swimsuit as well."

kaoru: and a haircut! *laughing*

kazumi: really?

Saki: "Wouldn't it make you feel a bit better?"

kazumi: ...i guess so.

toto: *pokes head out of her hair* mrow?

Umika: "..." *stifles her laughter*

-elsewhere-

Yumi: *dialing on a mirror* "...Marie? You there?"

marie: yes?

Yumi: "Hello. I wanted to follow up about an official report from your trip."

marie: honestly, it feels like we havent gotten anywhere.

Yumi: "I'm sorry to hear that. Have you found witnesses to the crimes?"

-elsewhere-

Anya: *curled up in bed* "..."

mio:....hey....anya?

Anya: *grunts* "Yeah?"

mio: you doing ok?......i brought you a baguette.

Anya: "..." *STOMACH GROWLS* "...Thank you." *sad nom*

mio:......sooooo....

Anya: "...I grew up without siblings, so the thought of even having one never crossed my mind! Now I'm supposed to think, 'Oh, so I may have a sibling'?! HOW AM I TO DEAL WITH THAT?!!" *angry nomming*

mio:...i think i get it, suddenly having a sibling can be a shock. it sure as heck shocked me when my little brother was born.

Anya: "Hmmm...What was that like? How old were you?"

mio: well, my-....hmmm, let me do the math on that...

Anya: -_-; "In any case, at least you knew your sibling from the beginning--I know next to nothing about...mine."

mio:.....im not sure what else to say....

ao: you're afraid.

Anya: "WHAT?!" *shivers*

ao: suddenly everything is different for you and you're beside yourself on what to do...would this be an accurate assessment?

Anya: *shaking* "I-I think so..."

ao: i see. i suppose that's reasonable. if i were in your situation, i'd probably feel the same way, unsure of who to confide in or talk to...

Anya: "...I don't even know how I would talk to _him_."

mio: w-well you dont have do talk to him _now_.

Anya: =_= "I suppose...Not like I was going to dial him up." *gestures to...a phone that looks like it was made by Alexander Graham Bell*

-elsewhere-

Black Star: *packing an overnight bag*

naho: whatcha doin?

Black Star: "Got a mission! A quick one!"

naho: cool!

Black Star: "Yeah! There's been all these disappearances in Seoul!"

tsubaki: otogiri, shamrock, you'll look after things while we're gone?

Belkia: "D'aw, why don't you ever let me be in charge?" *has Sakuya tied and hanging from the ceiling*

-elsewhere-

Kid: *appearing on a mirror in Soul's apartment* "We have to talk."

soul: sup?

Kid: "There are missions piling up after the Kishinites incident--so Father wants to send out as many available people as possible. Unfortunately, some are already on missions overseas."

soul: ah. let me guess, one of these missions is for me?

Kid: "Perceptive, as usual. We have a few options. Perhaps a visit to France?"

soul: i take it no bringing the kids?

Kid: "...Given the circumstances of this case, I think it would be best not to."

soul: thought so. im sure blair will look after them till i get back.

Kid: "Good, then. I have to travel as well for a mission."

-elsewhere-

Nirvana Employee 1: "He's been...less pleasant than usual since the first madness spike."

luka: *sigh* perhaps i should talk to him.

Nirvana Employee 1: "Try this." *hands a box of chocolates* "Also, don't extend your hand out." *has an arm entirely bandaged*

luka:....i doubt he'll be amused, but whatever...

*there's one door where humming is heard*

luka: *shudders* *touches her necklace before entering*

Asura: *resting his head on Mikan's lap*

mikan: *looks up* hm?

Asura: *groans* "What now." *the energy is radiating off of him*

luka: am i interrupting?

mikan: as a matter of fact, yes.

Asura: "I already told the last flunky--my head is killing me. Or do you want a 'manicure,' too?"

luka:....would you care to explain _why_ your head is killing you?

Asura: "If I knew that, I would have stopped the pain already. I only feel this much pain when around another with a powerful soul wavelength..."

luka: like your wife?

Asura: *pierces the wall by her head with a scarf* "We are compatible."

luka: right, she's the only thing keeping you from going on a rampage.

Asura: "...These are brave words from someone with a death wish."

luka: im just stating the facts.

Asura: "...These are amateurs, playing with a madness wavelength that is discordant with my own. That is all I can determine. Go tell that to your supervisors."

luka: very well then. *exits*

heibito:....daddy? what wrong?

Asura: "..." *pats his head* "Just a headache."

-elsewhere-

Akane: "Good day. Sorry that Clay made us late. I brought donuts."

Youta: ._.

Sid: "Have a seat. We were going over intelligence."

clay: so what's up?

Sid: *shows a map with Kishin Symbols all over it*

clay: dang....

Cho: "The Kishinites were targeting Death City, likely as a distraction for global efforts...Sid was telling me about certain Magic Tools that would assist them."

clay: and the sages?

Sid: "They're doing the best they can--but that's like using a hammer to smash ants. Our work is more precise. So while Zubaidah and others help with the flashy stuff, we're going to be working in shadows."

-elsewhere-

shinra: *YAAAAAAAAAAWN* =~=

Relan: "Zzz..."

shinra:....*pats his head before getting up*

Akitaru: *already making coffee in the kitchen*

shinra: morning.

argit: yo.

shinra:.....why are you still here?

argit: eh, just felt like it.

Akitaru: "I've tried getting him to leave."

{Akitaru: *spritzing with a water bottle*}

argit: *shrugs and eats his bacon*

Viktor: -^- "This is so annoying--some newbie showing up at random out of nowhere, uninvited." *eats toast*

maki:.......

Komori: <Are you fucking kidding me?>

shinra: -.- (i'd rather have schop here...)

Arthur: "In times of famine, desperate people often turn to consuming the vermin present to satiate their hunger. I propose we eat the mongoose."

argit: hey fuck you!

maki:.....so shinra, you feeling any better?

shinra: y-yeah, i dont know what came over me last night...

Akitaru: "...You going to be ready for today's tasks?"

shinra: of course!

Akitaru: *nods* "Keep your phone on today to check in. This is going to be an important one."

nozomi: good morning everyone.

tamaki: *following behind her*

Akitaru: "Howdy! Just about done with the eggs."

Arthur: "..."

tamaki:....thank you.

Komori: *holds up a sign at Argit*

argit: hmn?

Komori: *small print for only Argit to see* <Talk shit about either of them, and you'll wake up in a bathtub without your kidneys.>

argit: o-o tch- *grumble grumble*

-elsewhere-

Australian Park Ranger: "My people found the nest without its eggs. This job was too clean to be a predator--at least, not a non-human predator. These were poachers."

janine: damn...

marie: how awful, the poor mother...

Ranger: "What bugs me is that no one ever sees 'em--it's like they're invisible. Not even footprints."

janine: hmmmm *looking around*

*the nest has feathers in it, as would be expected--except one does not look like the others...*

janine: hmm?

*the feathers in the nest are white or gold...this one Janine sees is purple*

janine: well look at that...

Ranger: "??? What's that supposed to be?"

janine: not sure....a clue most likely.

-elsewhere-

*a Tennessee purple finch eats sunflower seeds before hopping back onto its owner's shoulder*

Poacher: *rubs the bird's head* "You got them locked up?"

???: yeah, these lil bastards wont be causing trouble anytime soon.

Poacher: "Can't wait--Blanche here can't stand this heat. Ain't that right, Blanche~?" *pets Blanche the finch*

Blanche: =w=

*something big rattles in a cage*

-elsewhere-

tsukasa: *playing DDR*

Tsukuyo: *sips a soda, watching*

Demongo: *posing as a shadow*

tsukasa: *stomach rumbles* im hungry, tag out!

Tsukuyo: *sets the soda down, leaps in*

Demongo: "Pick me up something, too!"

-the door opens and a girl enters and approaches-

tsukasa: ??

souju: *takes a seat at their table* ^u^

tsukasa: uhhhh may we help you?

Demongo: "???" *observing Souju*

souju: *offers hand* ayase souju, at your service! please, call me souju~

tsukasa: erm... ._.;

Tsukuyo: *finishes up* "Ta-da!" *looks back* "???"

souju: you two are magical girls, yes~?

tsukasa: ?! h-how did-

souju: i saw you both last night.

tsukasa: !! *looks at tsukuyo* (do you think she's onto us...?)

Tsukuyo: *goes stone-faced* "Hm. And what would that be?"

souju: i'd like to invite you to my house for tea~ ^^

tsukasa: ?? that's it?

Demongo: OwO ("WITH LITTLE COOKIES--")

Tsukuyo: "I don't know..."

Demongo: =_=;

souju: you mentioned something about 'joining' and it got me curious...

Tsukuyo: "?!"

tsukasa: *looks at tsukuyo*

Tsukuyo: "..." *shakes her head*

souju: pretty please~? i'll make it worth your while~

Tsukuyo: "...If you're serious..."

souju: wonderful!

Tsukuyo: *looks at Tsukasa* ("I got a bad feeling about this...")

-elsewhere-

*in a hospital in Seoul*

Doctor: <Another one...>

Patient: *staring up at the ceiling...with eyes that are white, blinded*

nurse: <what do you think happened?>

Doctor: *gestures to rows of patients, all with the same affliction* <This is too coincidental...>

-elsewhere-

Pumpkin: *snoring*

-smells like toast?-

Pumpkin: *groans, opens his eyes...* "...Where am I?"

misaki: oh, you're awake. *smiles*

Pumpkin: "...Oh. Right. Hello. Has the rain stopped?" *looks around*

misaki: *nods* i made some toast...

Pumpkin: "..." *stands up, looking where he slept*

Alistair: *eating from a bowl of seeds*

-the couch seems a bit old, but not uncomfortable-

Pumpkin: "..." *tries to fold up the blanket*

misaki: *making tea*

Pumpkin: "...It was a comfortable sleep."

misaki: im glad to hear that.

Pumpkin: *takes a seat at the table, looking around the kitchen*

-there are various spices and cooking tools about, as well as a few herbs and a cookbook-

Pumpkin: "You cook much?"

misaki: usually for myself, i dont have guests often.

Pumpkin: "I see..." *spots a textbook on the table* "???'

misaki: toast is ready.

Pumpkin: "...Thank you." *takes a piece* *nom* "...It's good."

misaki: *smiles*

Pumpkin: "Is that cinnamon on it?"

Alistair: *hops onto Misaki's shoulder*

-elsewhere-

Hirotsu: "Here are the crayons, the paper, the paste, and the glitter. Have fun, kiddos."

Tachihara: *seated at the kiddie table* "...WAIT A SEC!"

miyuri: yaaaay!! ^o^

Tachihara: *grumbling* "Why's that old fart treating me like some kid?! I ain't a child--" *doodling on paper* "Yo, Sonia, could you pass the yellow crayon?"

sonia: *hands it to him*

Tachihara: "Yeah, thanks--WHY'S HE GOT TO BE LIKE THAT TO ME?! What if it was your pops treating you like that?!"

sonia:......

Tachihara: "..." *grumbles* "I'm sorry for yelling..."

sonia: you're frustrated.

Tachihara: "You're daaaaaaaaa--...darn right I am. Sometimes I feel like I'm treated like the misfit."

sonia: im sure you'll prove yourself someday.

Tachihara: "...Maybe. I'll...I'll just get back to drawing...What you drawing?"

-elsewhere-

Meme: "Tsugumi, look at this email!"

tsugumi: hmm?

*it looks to be from Marie Mjolnir*

tsugumi: oh!

Meme: "She seems really busy with poachers!"

tsugumi: gagantous!

Meme: "She is reaching out to anyone available to help..."

tsugumi: hmm....

Anya: *packing*

tsugumi: anya?

Anya: "We should help Miss Marie! It would give me something to focus on..."

mio: good idea.

Maid: "Princess, I am afraid you are not permitted to leave."

tsugumi: eh?

Maid: "It would be dangerous to have you go running out so abruptly..."

Anya: "?!!!" *shuts her suitcase, marches out of the room* "Then I know with whom to speak..."

tsugumi: wait, anya!

Anya: *heading into the throne room...*

kathleen: ?? anya?

Anya: "What's this about me not being allowed to leave?!"

kathleen: !! *looks at charles*

Charles: "Anya, now calm down--"

Anya: 0n0 "I WILL NOT CALM DOWN! I am my own adult, and I get to make my decisions--"

*cooks are setting out an extravagant dinner...*

kathleen: anya, please-

Anya: "WHY WON'T YOU LET ME FINISH A SENTENCE--"

Cook: "Excuse me, Princess--will you be having the beef or the pork?"

Anya: "Beef please, thank you. AND ANOTHER--...What."

kathleen: we just.....wanted one more family dinner before you left in the morning...

Charles: ^^; "I suppose we should have clarified to the maids that it would be dangerous for you to leave on an empty stomach..."

Anya: "... ... ..." T\\\\T;

-elsewhere-

kazumi: woah!

Umika: "Impressive, isn't it?"

kaoru: *in a sporty swimsuit* heck yeah it is!

Satomi: >_>; *watches a hermit crab*

mirai: *staaaaare* 0n0

Saki: "Ah, come on--try to have some fun."

mirai: IM NOT CRYING AT ALL!

kazumi: the sand feels so funny!

Umika: "Hang on--let's finish your sunscreen..."

kazumi: o-ok.

Saki: "But then we're going seashell hunting, and swimming, and snorkeling, and--"

Satomi: *curls up under an umbrella*

nico: -.-;

Umika: "The camp will be waiting for us--now, it's fun and sun. There, you are successfully blocked."

kazumi: thank you!

Saki: "What do you want to do first?" *holds up a bucket* "We can also make sandcastles?"

kazumi: yeah!

Saki: ^^ "Okay!" *buckets up sand*

kaoru: umika, lets play some volleyball!

Umika: "Very well--maybe go a bit easy on me..."

mirai: *sulks under the umbrella* T^T

Satomi: "My sympathies..." *opens a book, puts on sunglasses*

mirai: *stares at her* (IM NOT CRYING AT ALL!!)

Satomi: *offers a tissue* "Here."

nico: *looking around*

*looks like an ice cream stand on the boardwalk*

nico: *checks her wallet*

*big sign: "FREE SAMPLES"*

nico:.....hey, anyone want something from the ice cream stand?

Saki: "Yes, please!"

mirai: parfait.

Umika: "Kazumi, want anything?"

kazumi: shaved ice for me!

Umika: "And sorbet for me, please."

Ice Cream Vendor: *ringing the bell*

-elsewhere-

Flight Attendant: <Welcome to Seoul.> ^^

Black Star: *yaaaaaaaawns* "I need coffee and a donut."

tsubaki: ^^;

Pilot: "???" <Fancy DWMA logo on that scarf, ma'am. You looking for the regional office?>

tsubaki: <yes.>

Pilot: <You're going to want to speak to the police station in Terminal A, first floor. They'll provide you an escort.>

Black Star: O_O; ("I hate being behind the language barrier...")

-elsewhere-

Cabbie: *speaking French* <You from around here, young'un?>

soul: <not locally, no.>

Cabbie: *driving by a shipyard...looks like an airship docked there*

soul: <more or less, yeah.>

Cabbie: <Got ya. Well, there's the spot...Kind of a rundown chateau, you sure this is the address?>

soul: *checks phone*

*that's the address--looks like there are some text messages, too*

soul: <yep. this is the place.>

Cabbie: <Alright. That'll be 50 euros--I'll get your bags.>

soul: ......

{Kid: "We've had a serial killer. I warn you, the scenes are...reminiscent of work you've seen before, in Stein's classes."}

{soul: ok....i'll keep an eye out.}

soul:....

*it looks like someone is loading crates off an airship into a van labeled "Haijima"*

???: <Careful--those are rare specimens.>

soul: ...*walks up to the house*

*inside are two elderly women*

soul:...*ahem* <good afternoon, ma'ams.> *nods*

???: <Ah, hello, young man. Are you Mr. Evans?>

soul: <and if i am?>

???: <We got the call to set up your room. I'm Sami Champlain, and this is my wife, Françoise Du Pont.>

Francoise: -_-; <Death is making his kiddos scrawny now...> *pokes Soul's arm*

soul: ^-^;

Sami: <Stop teasing the boy, Franny. Here, I'll help you with your bags...> *moves fast but is taking such small steps with such small legs that she is nowhere near his bags...*

soul:

Francoise: <You don't even look like you could lift a feather!>

Sami: <I'm sure it's just jet lag, dear.>

soul: *lifts the bags*

Francoise: <MAKING FUN OF ME, EH?! I bench-press a sea-cow every morning! Feel this arm!> *flexes*

-elsewhere-

nico: the barbeque is ready.

Saki: "Thanks! I'm starving!"

kazumi: *nom* *shiny eyes* woah! this is good!

Satomi: "It sure is!" *bites into roasted corn*

kaoru: *nom* mmm!.... huh, looks like someone's shooting discs.

nico:.....

{*BANG*}

{-screaming is heard...-}

umika:...co...nico?

nico: !!!

Satomi: "You okay?"

nico:....i-im fine. just...zoned out for a moment.

Satomi: "Maybe you need something to drink?"

nico: y-yeah..

-elsewhere-

Demongo: *staring at tiny cakes*

tsukasa: .w.

souju: dig in~ ^w^

Tsukuyo: "..." *hesitantly picks one up*

souju: ^w^

Demongo: *whispers* "Pst--I want the strawberry one..."

tsukasa: 7n7

Demongo: "Come on--do it!"

*looks like a door is opened a bit nearby...*

Tsukuyo: *looks at the door* "???"

souju:....want to see something amazing?

Tsukuyo: *looks at Tsukasa* "Want to?"

tsukasa: hmmm...

souju: please, i insist~! ^^

Tsukuyo: "O-Okay?" *stands up*

Demongo: *following in shadows*

-inside of the room is magical girl merchandise. all over the walls. the floor, bed, everywhere-

tsukasa: um....wow...

souju: isnt it wonderful~?

tsukasa: yooouuuu really like magical girls, dont you?

souju: oh i absolutely ADORE them!

Demongo: ("...Not wrong, mostly?")

Tsukuyo: *backs up* ("Something isn't right...")

souju:...you know, im rather jealous of you two...being able to know your sister.......i was supposed to be a twin as well, but my sister, luca, died in childbirth.

tsukasa: !!

Tsukuyo: "Oh dear--I'm so sorry..."

souju: indeed....i was quite lonely, and the fact my parents were always at work didnt help matters.....but when i discovered the world of magical girls, it was true love at first sight...so i began collecting.

Tsukuyo: "I see...It is an impressively exhaustive collection..."

souju: indeed....but it wasnt enough....i wanted to collect more....authentic, merchandise, shall we say.....*takes out a box, full of soul gems* even if the donors were....less than willing~

Tsukuyo: "?!"

Demongo: "OH SHIT!"

tsukasa: are those.....actual soul gems?

souju: but of course! sadly, i had to get my hands a bit dirty to get them, but arent they just beautiful? they say soul gems are connected to their souls themselves.

tsukasa: you're....you're insane.

Demongo: "I agree--and that's saying something..."

Tsukuyo: *backs away*

souju: oh, you arent leaving now, are you~?

tsukasa: yes, we are! you're nuts! even _she_ isnt this bad!

souju: that's a shame...i really wanted to add you to my collection. *transforms* it seems i'll have to dirty my hands again. oh well~<3

Tsukuyo: "?! Tsukasa!" *transforms*

tsukasa: right! *transforms*

Tsukuyo: *prepares her shinobue flute*

-elsewhere-

*an elevator in Lotte Tower is taking Black Star and Tsubaki up to the top floor*

DWMA Agent: *passes a security badge* <It's not our usual policy to have patients brought to the offices, but this was a rare exception given their condition.>

tsubaki:

Black Star: =_= "I don't suppose you speak anything else?"

DWMA Agent: ^^; "Sorry about that--just a bit flustered with these cases and, well, we heard a lot about both of you."

-ding-

*doors open to a skull-shaped hallway, with glass walls showing out over Seoul*

tsubaki: wow...

Black Star: *face pressed against the glass* "No wonder Lord Death wanted this thing up here--you can see everything!"

Agent: "Tallest building in the city!" *leads them down the hall* "I have to warn you, this might get a bit intimidating..."

tsubaki:...*nods*

Black Star: "How bad can this be?" *spots the door* "I'll go first!" *kicks the door open--*

???: "OW!"

tsubaki: D8

Black Star: "???" *looks behind the door to see a very annoyed physician*

Physician: -_-# *pokes Black Star in the eyes with two fingers*

Black Star: "GAH!" *clutches his face* "WHAT THE HELL?!"

tsubaki: black*star!! *goes over to him*

Agent: "How's the patient, doc?"

Physician: "Their aura got worse. Bring the weapon, leave the meister."

tsubaki:....

Black Star: "HEY! I'm plenty useful too--"

Agent: *leads Black Star into a briefing room*

Physician: "Weapon Nakatsukasa, how familiar are you with medicine?"

tsubaki: well, i do know first aid at the very least. and please, call me tsubaki.

Physician: *a shorter person, looks up at Tsubaki* "...Hmph. That won't be enough to understand the physical condition of the patient, but your connection to the Nakatsukasa may help..." *opens a door, revealing the patient in bed...their eyes are blank, pure white, just staring up blind at a ceiling*

Patient: "..."

tsubaki:......<hello.>

Patient: *sniffles, crying* <H-Hi...Who are you? You don't sound like the doctor--you sound actually friendly.>

Physician: -_-#

tsubaki: <my name is tsubaki. what's yours?>

Patient: <...Bong.>

tsubaki: <it's nice to meet you, bong.>

Bong: <Th-Thanks...I want to go back to work--but I'm like this now. That thing came out of nowhere...>

tsubaki: <what thing?>

Bong: <It was hideous--it pulled me into an alley and had this eye growing out of its forehead...>

tsubaki: !! *listening*

*a man in a business suit enters*

???: <Don't tell me you're lecturing our guest upon their arrival, Doctor!>

Physician: -_-# <Director.>

tsubaki: um...

???: *offers his hand to Tsubaki* <Lee Sang, Seoul DWMA director. A pleasure to meet you, Weapon Nakatsukasa.>

tsubaki: <likewise. and please, call me tsubaki.>

Sang: <Of course! I should've made it clearer to Kro to have you and Black Star brought to me first! Oh, Bong--how's it goin'?>

Bong: *whimpers*

Sang: <Hm--still that bad, eh? Hang in there, soldier.> *pats Tsubaki's shoulder* <Let's talk in my office--Kro brought Black Star there already.>

tsubaki: <right.>

-elsewhere-

Damon: *staring at the phone Soul left for him and Becky* "...Still nothing."

becky: at least he didnt leave us home alone...

Damon: "Yeah, but they seem kind of busy..."

Blair: *flipping through a magazine*

Katai: *hiding under a blanket*

nagisa: why dont we play some jenga?

Blair: OwO "Yes, please!"

Katai: "O-Okay...I hope I don't topple it..."

Damon: "..." *shrugs* "Sure, Nagisa."

-elsewhere-

Sami: *holding out a spoon* <Here comes the helicopter--VROOM!> *puts the spoon up to Soul's mouth*

soul: =_=;;;

Francoise: <WHAT?! HER COOKING NOT GOOD ENOUGH FOR YA, STRING BEAN?!>

*the doorbell rings*

soul: i'll get it. *sits up*

Sami: ^^ <Such a polite young man.>

*at the door is someone holding boxes up over his head*

soul: <can i help you?>

Max: <Hi, Mrs. Champlain--I got your deliveries--> *looks around the boxes* <??? Oh! Sorry--should've recognized by the voice you weren't her...Could you take some of these--they are too heavy.> >_<;;;

soul: <oh, sure thing, dude.> *carries some boxes*

Max: *groans* <Thank you, sir...>

Sami: <Maxie! Pull up a chair! How's your Grandma?>

Max: <Busy, ma'am...> *rubs his back* =_=; *looks at Soul* <??? You look familiar...You a musician?>

soul: <well...no?>

Max: <Hmm...Guess you got one of those faces!>

Francoise: <How many albinos have you seen, Max?!>

soul: o-o

Sami: <He's from Death City, dear.>

Max: <Oh! I have friends over there now!>

soul: <ah.>

Max: ^^;

soul: <maybe i have, maybe not. who knows.>

Max: <...Well, that was suitably cryptic.> ^^;

soul: *small wave*

Francoise: *opening a box* <Finally!> *pulls out a giant shield*

soul: ._. um....

Sami: <Franny collects weaponry for historical purposes--and combat training.>

Francoise: *poses with it* <How's it look?!>

Sami: =w= <Beautiful, dear.>

soul:

Francoise:

soul: ummmm....

Sami:

soul: D8> (WHAT HAVE I GOTTEN INTO?!)

-elsewhere-

*an assassin is on top of a building in Death City...their eyes narrow to follow a target*

Assassin: <Target spotted.>

*the target exits a grocery*

???: *pulls out a phone, dials* "...Izumi? It's Papa. Running a bit late."

izumi: are you alright?

Assassin: *holds up a red bow, aiming an energy arrow at him* <Steady...Ready...>

Spirit: "Yeah, sorry, the grocery was just more crowded than usual and is out of milk, so I'll need to make another stop."

izumi: ok. should i get started on dinner?

Spirit: "Sure thing! Let Cassidy know I did manage to find your mom a surprise dessert!"

*someone is walking down the sidewalk--and bumps into Spirit*

Assassin: *stops* <?!>

???: "Oh, dear--sorry, sir!" *is looking at a map* "I can't find anything around this city..."

Spirit: -_-; ("It's like Marie or something...") "No problem, buddy--where you heading?"

???: "I was trying to find 'Rest in Pizza'?"

Spirit: *points* "Around that corner."

???: *smiles* "Merci!" *hurriedly runs away*

Assassin: -_-# <Tourists...> *aims again--*

Spirit: *reaches into his pocket for his keys--then stops* "..." *rapid movements* "...Izumi? I'm going to be a little late--BECAUSE SOME ASSHOLE JUST PICKPOCKETED ME!"

???: *heads into an alley* "Hee hee hee!" *calls out* <Peppino! We are eating well tonight!>

peppino: <yay~!> ^w^

Vampa: <Indeed! So, I was thinking a large with cannolis--> *opens the wallet--and pulls out $400* ._. "...I was not expecting this much...Dude was loaded!"

peppino: *SQUEEE* <let's go somewhere fancy!>

Vampa: <Sounds good to me! We could-->

*tap tap on Vampa's shoulder*

Vampa: "???" *turns* "Oh? Do you have a recommendation?"

Spirit: OnO#

peppino: oxo;;;

Vampa: OwO;

Spirit: *slams Vampa into the wall, aiming his scythe blade at his forehead*

peppino: !!! *SHOVE*

Spirit: *turns on her* "You want some of this, too, thief?!"

peppino: !!! *ducks and covers* >~<;;;

Spirit: "..." *groans* "You petty thieves...Just give me my wallet, and I'll be on my way..."

*a laser dot appears on Vampa's forehead*

peppino: !!!!!!! *tackle*

Vampa: "?!"

*an energy arrow collides with the wall, obliterating it!*

Assassin: -_-#

peppino: >~<

Spirit: "What the hell--"

Assassin: <Actually hit him this time.>

bow: <oi, its not my fault that girl caught me off guard!>

Assassin: <Whatever.> *aims at Spirit--*

Spirit: "This is not my day. You two, get back--" *turns--and sees they both ran off already* "HEY! YOU DIDN'T EVEN LET ME BE HEROIC--"

Assassin: *releases the bowstring--*

Vampa: *pulling Peppino away* "What the hell was that back there?!"

peppino: i thought you were going to get shot!

Vampa: "Thanks for saving my butt back there! And I know how to get us out of here..."

Spirit: *dodging in the alley, before throwing a garbage can at the Assassin*

bow: <SHIT!>

Assassin: *blocks with the bow* <He's wily.>

Spirit: *running down the road* ("I need to get to my car and--") *checks his pocket* "...AGAIN?!"

*Spirit's car comes down the road*

peppino: *waves and blows a kiss* ^w^ bu-baaaai~

Spirit: D8< "THAT MOTHERF--"

*an energy blasts right by Spirit's ear*

Assassin: "Do not move, Red."

Spirit: "..." *holds his hands up*

bow: *shift* well look how high and mighty you are now, death scythe.

Spirit: "You're two to talk. What is this about? Please tell me I didn't make a pass at your sister or something..." -_-;

Assassin: "You posed a significant problem for us some time ago. The Crimson Lotus wants retribution. And eliminating one of Lord Death's soldiers is a start."

bow: *chuckles*

Spirit: "What? Oh, you mean when you two got your asses handed to you mere children? Yeah, that was pretty hilarious."

bow: *WHAM*

Spirit: *knocked to the sidewalk* *spits blood* "That was rude..."

Assassin: "Easy...I'm sure the boss would like this one alive..."

bow: nyeheheheh~

*a courier bike parks*

bow: eh?

Spirit: "...Well, I don't have a ride, but let me help with that--" *SCYTHE LEG SWEEP*

bow: WOAH!

Assassin: "?!"

Spirit: *tackles the Assassin, then flips them into the wall*

Assassin: "GRK!"

*the bicyclist looks up*

Ox: "?! Mr. Albarn?!"

Spirit: "Ox! I'm borrowing this!" *takes Ox's bike--and pedals off*

Ox: D8

bow: HEY YOU GET YO ASS BACK HERE, PUNK!

Assassin: *rubs their head* "Not so rusty for an old timer...Let's go." *leaps up to the rooftop, following Spirit*

-meanwhile-

Vampa: *leisurely driving* =w= "Nice wheels, eh?"

peppino: hmmhmm~ you knooooow~ i heard there was a 'lovers lane' not far from here~<3

Vampa: =\\\w\\\= "Oh ho ho~" *switches the radio to love songs...*

*thump on Peppino's window*

peppino: *looks* OxO;; ohhhhhh biscuits.

Spirit: *pedaling like a madman* "GIVE ME BACK MY CAR AND MY WALLET, YOU THIEVES!"

Vampa: "Hey! We stole this free and legally! Go harass actual criminals!"

Spirit: "OVER MY DEAD BODY!”

peppino: that can be arranged~<3

Spirit: "...Oh biscuits--"

-VERRRN-

Vampa: "Watch the wheel!"

*the car is pulled towards the bike, nearly colliding into Spirit*

Spirit: "!!!" *turns his feet into scythes, leaping off the bike to skid along building walls*

Hyde: *running a hot dog cart on the street with an umbrella* "That'll be five dollars--"

*SLICE*

*the umbrella is sliced by Spirit's feet*

Hyde: *a hot dog smashed into his face* =_=#

bow: LOL

Assassin: "Focus." *rooftop running* "We only need the Death Scythe--the thieves are expendable." *aims...*

Ox: *running over sidewalks, huffing and puffing* *calling on his cell* "Yeah! Two assassins! I--" *trips over the hot dog stand* "...Ow."

Vampa: *steadies the wheel--then glares at Peppino*

peppino: QAQ

Assassin: *aims at the hood of the car...*

Spirit: *reaches through the window--and leaps into the car, landing over Peppino and Vampa*

peppino: *SCREAM*

Vampa: "GET OFF OF ME!"

Assassin: *FIRES*

*the energy arrow hits the hood--and the car flips up and through the air, towards a familiar building...*

Vampa: *HIGH-PITCHED SCREAM*

Spirit: *slow-motion* "NOOOOOOOO--"

peppino: EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE-

-meanwhile-

Lucy: *sitting in the Agency office* "Hmmm...Kenji, I can't figure out this crossword. The clue is 'blank blank goose.' Four letters. You got any ideas?"

*outside, Spirit's car is flipping through the air towards the window Kenji is looking out of*

naomi: DUCK!!

Lucy: "Oh! That fits..." *starts writing it down--*

Kenji: .w.; "...SIR!"

Fukuzawa: "..." *sighs* "Kunikida. Lucy. Kenji."

Lucy: *looks up* "?!"

Kunikida: "On it!" *grabs Naomi*

Fukuzawa: *stands in front of the oncoming car* "..."

*slow-motion, the car goes through the wall of the Agency...*

Vampa: "FUUUUUUUUUU--"

Fukuzawa: "..." *swiftly swings his blade, slicing the car down the center in half...*

Kenji: *catches the half with Peppino* "Hello!"

Lucy: *sends the other half with Vampa into Anne's Room*

-outside the door-

Kyoka: *walking to the door with Atsushi* "I hope there's work for us to do soon..."

atsushi: *opens the door*

Kunikida: *protecting Naomi from debris*

*the entire wall of the building is destroyed*

Spirit: *hanging from the ceiling, blades dug into the ceiling, his clothes sliced* Q_Q

atsushi:.....yep, just another normal day.

Kyoka: "...I'll get the dustpan."

Assassin: *across the street* "...You have to be kidding me. What rotten luck."

bow: awww maaaaan....

Assassin: <No way I'm going against Fukuzawa today. Let's head back to base.>

-elsewhere-

Vampa: *sitting at a tea set with Anne* O_o; "...Are you going to eat me?"

-elsewhere-

Asher: "Yo. What did your dad say?"

izumi: he mentioned getting dessert for mom.

Asher: "Seems to be taking his time--think he did something?"

izumi: i-im sure he's fine.

-elsewhere-

Spirit: *seated at a table in the police department--across from Vampa and Peppino, handcuffed to the table*

peppino: QAQ;;;;;

Vampa: "It's all a setup! It wasn't us! It was two people who look just like us! One of them, how do say it in English--'double gangers'! Two gangsters!"

Spirit: "..." *reaches into Vampa's pants*

peppino: D8<

Vampa: "HEY! NO TOUCHING WITHOUT DINNER FIRST--"

Spirit: *pulls out a wallet*

Vampa: "..." *sneers* "Good luck finding the money, mister--I kept that in my safe spot! HA!"

officer: ...

peppino: 7//w//7 nyehe~

Vampa: "See? She knows what I'm talkin' about--"

Spirit: *not looking up at them, looking through everything but the money pocket of the wallet* "You have kids?"

peppino: e-eh?

Vampa: "??? No? I mean, I don't think so?"

peppino: why do you care, mister?

Spirit: *opens his wallet, as a roll of photos falls out...they seem to be photos of a baby, then that same child a little older along 4, 10, and 13...then there are photos of another girl and her mother...*

peppino: these your kids?

Spirit: *nods* *points to the girl in most of the photos* "This is Maka. That's my daughter."

peppino: she doesnt look it.

Spirit: "...She takes after her mama, a bit."

peppino: can we get to the point of this now?

Spirit: *slams one hand onto the table--extending his blade*

peppino: OwO;;;;;;;;;;;

Vampa: "!!!"

Spirit: "These photos are some of all I have left of her! I hope you never have children, because I'd hate to see you running scared of losing what little you have left in your pathetic waste of a life! I don't give a shit about the damn money--keep it if you want!"

Vampa: "...Sweet! We earned a profit!"

Spirit: *FORMS ALL THE BLADES*

officer: MR ALBARN, please calm down!

Vampa: "EEP!" *struggles to put Peppino behind him as he shields her from Spirit*

peppino: ...*mutters* not like i could have any on my own anyway.....

Vampa: Q~Q

Spirit: "..." *knocks the chair back as he stands, picks up his wallet* "Enjoy collecting the evidence, officer--I have to go recycle my car for scrap metal!"

-elsewhere-

Stein: "I'll be back in about an hour--he asked me to pick him up." *picks up the keys* "The new paint job should get a reaction out of him."

valentine: just try not to scare him _too_ much.

Stein: "I promise, he will survive." *opens the doors, as a modified ambulance is parked in front of the Lab*

-elsewhere-

kazumi: *yaaaawn* im tired...

Umika: "But you had fun, right?"

kazumi: mmhmm! i want to get to experience more fun things like that.

-BANG BANG-

nico: !!!!

kaoru: what the heck?

Saki: "?!" *holds her whip*

-looks to be a fight between 3 magical girls and a 4th figure...-

souju: see? your demon collects magical girls as well! we arent any different from each other, right?

tsukasa: shut the hell UP ALREADY! *kicks her in the nose*

souju: GRK-

Tsukuyo: "Contain her!"

Demongo: "I'M TRYING!"

souju: hehehe~ my face is all bloody now...that's not very friendly~....*slashes behind her, bisecting airi anri, who then evaporates and returns to demongo*

mirai: what the hell?! t-that was-

nico: a wraith? no....this one seems....different...

tsukasa:...sis, we have company.

Tsukuyo: "Shit!"

Demongo: "...Lot of girls--dang. Is this a convention?"

tsukasa: dont get any funny ideas, stupid demon!

souju: ahh~! the pleadies saints! this is such an honor!

mirai: just who are you girls anyway?

Umika: "Looks dangerous...Summon weapons just in case?"

Saki: *nods*

nico: that girl just now, she was airi anri, wasnt she?

tsukasa: and what if she was?

kaoru: QUIT BEING SO CRYPTIC AND ANSWER THE QUESTION!

souju: *charges at tsukuyo*

Satomi: "?! Wait!" *tries to use her wand for protection*

Umika: "Damn it! Kazumi, stay behind me..."

Demongo: "HANDS OFF HER!" *summoning...*

akane sumire: *KICK*

souju: OOF!

akane sumire:.......

Satomi: "?!!! What on earth?!"

kaoru: !!! sumire-chan!

akane sumire: ..... *charges at them*

kaoru: sumire-chan stop! it's me, kaoru maki! we play soccer together!

-she doesnt reply-

nico: her eyes.....

kaoru:...*growls* WHAT THE HELL DID YOU DO TO HER?!

Tsukuyo: "Now may be a good time to make some distance..."

kaoru: why YOU!!! *charges*

kazumi: kaoru!

???: *GRAB*

kaoru: !!!

"Yuuri": *stares with dead eyes--aiming a gun at Kaoru's neck*

nico: !!

kazumi: NO!!

-kazumi then transforms and sends and energy blast-

souju: !!! GYAAHH!

Tsukuyo: "Maybe that'll shut her up."

-'yuuri' was also evaporated-

kaoru: holy shit, i thought i was seriously gonna die!

Umika: "What is going on?!" *glares at the twins*

souju: *unconscious, her magical girl outfit torn up*

Satomi: "Why did she attack? Who is she?"

souju: *her eyes snap open as she stands up* ....well....that's certainly annoying.....

Demongo: "WHY CAN'T SHE JUST DIE ALREADY?!"

Tsukuyo: "Quiet..."

tsukasa: (she seems....different somehow)

souju: *takes out a second soul gem and transforms*

mirai: ?!?!?!

kaoru: what?

souju: allow me to introduce myself proper. my name is Luca Souju. im sure you're all well acquainted with my twin sister, Ayase.

Tsukuyo: "?! Sis...What the hell..."

tsukasa: but...ayase told us...you died....

luca: yes. it's true that my physical body died in infancy. however, my soul continued to live on in ayase's body as a 'secondary conscious' of sorts. It's said that twins are one soul in two bodies, well our situation is reversed; two souls in one body.

tsukasa: one soul.....

Tsukuyo: "...Then we have to contain this second soul, too."

luca: now, with all due respect. please die. *charges*

Demongo: "Hoo boy..." *tries to summon--*

kaoru: *ATTACKS*

tsukasa: oh shit- RETREAT!

Tsukuyo: "Damn it!" *grabs Demongo* "Come on!"

Demongo: O_O;

luca: ....

kaoru: GET BACK HERE!!

Umika: "Kaoru! Focus before--"

luca: ......*looks at kazumi* you. you've lost your memory, right?

kazumi: eh? w-well....

luca:....go to the museum of the teddy bears. you'll find the answer in the basement. *flees*

Satomi: "Get back here!"

kazumi: .....

Umika: "...Kazumi? Do you know what she meant?"

mirai: museum of the teddy bears....ah! does she mean angelica bears?

Satomi: "Probably our best lead?"

Saki: "..." *nods*

-elsewhere-

Lucy: *directing Anne* "Okay, set the wall over there..."

Kenji: *picking up debris in the office*

Kyoka: "That sounds like quite a mess..."

sylvia: s-scary...

Fukuzawa: "This is why we have contingency plans in case of any attacks on the office."

atsushi: ...

Kunikida: *holds up a binder* "Multiple plans." *hands one to Atsushi*

atsushi: *looks* fire...flood...... ._. geese?

Dazai: "Sharp tooth-filled feathery monsters." *munching on chips in the corner*

-elsewhere-

kazumi:.....

kaoru: what do you think we're going to find?

mirai: i dont know, i just have the deed to the building!

Satomi: "Sh-Should we be in here?"

kazumi:.....i think we have to...

Satomi: *sighs...nods* "Where do we start exploring?"

nico: she said the basement....

Satomi: *takes out a flashlight*

mirai: *opens the door leading to the basement* well....here goes....

Umika: *follows...sniffs* "Ugh--really dank..."

-they head down the stairs, that seem to go on endlessly-

Satomi: "It's like something out of a horror painting...Like Esher..."

-soon, they reach a corridor-

Umika: "Cover our bases..." *takes position before they open the door...*

kaoru: *defensive stance*

Satomi: "!!! What the hell..."

kazumi: *eyes wide in shock* w..wha.....

-there is a lab.....with several incubator machines containing copies of kazumi-

Umika: "My God..."

Satomi: *looks around...spots a set of photos on a desk*

kaoru: mirai, did you know-

mirai: of course not!

kazumi: *collapses to her knees, stunned*

Satomi: *picks up one photo* "Wait...I know this...Michiru..."

mirai: ?!?! what?

nico: why would there be a photo of her here?

kazumi:....mi....mi....

kaoru:....well, i guess we should explain.....

Satomi: *looks back and forth between the photo and Kazumi* "...Y-Yeah..."

{Umika: *dials on her phone...*}

{???: yes?}

{Umika: "Hello? It's me, Umika Misaki? I had sent my manuscript to you and--"}

{???: yes yes, how can i help-}

{Umika: "Why was my novel under someone else's name?!"}

{???: ah, miss misaki! good to hear from you! when can we look forward to your next work?}

{Umika: "..." *drops the phone* "...Some idol..." *falls back in her chair, next to a book review, praising some idol credited for writing _her_ novel*}

-...-

{kaoru: nnngh....huh? wha...what happened?}

{Nurse: "You're awake..." *sets down a chart, holds a flashlight to one of Kaoru's eyes*}

{kaoru: ...}

{Nurse: "Do you remember what happened? Do you feel any pain in your legs? Do you need more pain reliever?"}

{-the sound of footsteps are heard-}

{Nurse 2: "Clear the way!"}

{*someone is attached to the gurney being run in*}

{kaoru: what's going on out there?}

{Nurse: "...You were in a soccer game with that girl..."}

{kaoru: !!}

{Nurse: "You collided in your match, breaking your legs...They found your opponent int he bathroom when she...tried to..."}

{kaoru:.....ah-.....*sobs*}

-...-

{mrs usagi: happy birthday, satomi!}

{Satomi: OwO "Yay! What do I get?"}

{cat: mii!}

{Satomi: *tiny gasp* "Kitty..."}

{cat: *hops into her arms* mii! ^w^}

{Satomi: *hugging and petting* "Awww, you're so cute!"}

{cat: *nuzzles and purrs*}

{Satomi: *opens the front door*}

{sare: *laying motionless on the floor*}

{Satomi: "??? Sare? ..."}

{-...-}

{vet: im sorry, there's not much we can do now...}

{Satomi: *covering her face* "I did this...If I had paid more attention..."}

-...-

{mirai: *sitting in class* .....}

{Classmate: *talking to another student* "Let's check out the new crepes at the bakery!"}

{mirai:....(who needs them. as long as i have my teddies, im fine!)}

{Classmate 2: "Sounds good!" *bumps into Mirai's desk* "Ugh--hey, four eyes, can't you ever put your desk in the right spot?!"}

{Classmate: *staring at Mirai's teddy bear* >_>; }

{mirai: s-sorry.......*holds her bear close*}

{Classmate: "Aren't you a little old for stuffed animals?"}

{-...-}

{mirai: *sewing her bear's arm* stupid classmates......i....*weeps* i want friends....}

-…-

{niko: *laughs* over here!}

{Neighbor: "Slow down! I need to catch up!"}

{neighbor 2: you'll never catch me, coppers! *laughs*}

{Neighbor: "Oh no you don't!"}

{niko: bang!}

{Neighbor: *fake scream* "Eeek!"}

{niko: BANG!}

{-BANG-}

{Neighbor: "?!!"}

{*it sounds like something shattered*}

{niko: ah-}

{???: what was- !! NIKO! WHERE DID YOU GET THIS?!}

{Neighbor: "!!!" *runs away*}

{niko: *trembling as she drops the gun* i....i didnt.....}

{???: "Call an ambulance!"}

-...-

{???: big sis look!}

{???: "Oh--what's this that you've found?"}

{-the girl holds up a lily of the valley flower-}

{???: isnt it pretty, saki?}

{Saki: "Oh so incredibly..."}

{???: when i grow up, i want to have lots of pretty flowers like this so i can have a bouquet for when i get married!}

{Saki: "Aww, but I find it hard to believe there's someone out there good enough for someone as amazing as you!"}

{???: hmm... *hug* then i'll marry you, saki! >w<}

{Saki: ^^; *hug*}

{-...-}

{-in the remnants of an accident, the girl lays on the ground, glass lodged in her throat as she chokes-}

{???: someone! get help!}

{Saki: "M...M-Miyuki..."}

-...-

{-the girls stand at a bridge-}

{kaoru:.....}

{mirai: *holding her bear*}

{niko: *holding a newspaper article on the shooting*}

{Saki: *holding the lily*}

{Umika: *holding a manuscript*}

{Satomi: *holding a cat toy*}

{-before they can jump, a magical net seems to catch them-}

{Satomi: "?!"}

{kaoru: !!! wha- what was i just....?}

{???: *phew* that was a close one. you girls just sit tight while i take care of this bad boy.}

{-a young woman in a witch's outfit appears-}

{Umika: "What...What are you?"}

{???: a magical girl. *leaps up to fight the wraith that has appeared*}

{Satomi: "A...Magical?"}

{Saki: "How does someone do that?"}

{-...-}

{???: perhaps i should introduce myself, my name is Michiru Kazusa.}

{kaoru: that was so awesome! you beat that...whatever it was like paper!}

{Umika: 'What was that thing, exactly? A demon?"}

{michiru: a wraith. a creature that brings misery and suffering...}

{mirai: that...it tried to kill us!}

{Saki: "Th-Thanks for not letting us get killed?"}

{michiru: of course.}

{kaoru: if things like that exist, then we need to stop them!}

{Umika: *still holding her manuscript* "..." *nods*}

{niko: but where can we even start?}

{michiru: you've heard of the incubator gardens, right?}

{mirai: i think so?}

{michiru: you can become a magical girl there, as well as have a wish granted.}

{kaoru: for real?!}

niko: she was the one who helped us form the pleadies saints.

mirai:.....she was almost a second mom to us.

Saki: *looks downcast* "Until..."

kaoru:.....

Umika: "...When she passed away...."

niko: *looking through notes left behind*

kazumi: *unable to speak*

niko: ?? i think i found something.

Umika: "??? What is it?" *looks*

Saki: "!!! These papers mention Michiru..."

-michiru came by again today. we decided to go to the natural history museum for a while. i swear, her smile could light up a room. she told me she got a report from the doctors this morning. the tests came back negative. i was heartbroken for her. she really wanted to start a family, and so did i. i promised her that i would find a way. ~Kazuhito Asakura-

Umika: *tenses up* "...You mean...They..."

mirai: i didnt know she had a boyfriend.

niko: *skimming notes*

-she's gone. this evening she stumbled into the lab in terrible shape. i tried to get medical help, but her wounds were too severe.-

*it looks like there are dry tear stains on the paper*

-if soul gems really are connected to souls, maybe there's a way to save her using the clones. if i can find a way to do a transfer-

Saki: "Wh-What is he talking about? 'Clones'? Soul gem transfer?!"

-test 1; failure-

-test 2; failure-

-test 3; failure-

Satomi: "Th-This is insane--this is too much..."

mirai: i think im gonna be sick....

-test 13; i think i succeeded. i'll name her 'kazumi'-

*the rest of the notes are torn out*

kazumi: ah.....ah......

Umika: "Ka-Kazumi...It's going to be okay..."

kaoru: where even is this guy- whoever he is....

???: im afraid that wont be needed.

Saki: "!!!" *spins around, weapon ready*

souju: dr asakura has been dealt with already, my benefactor made sure of that~

Umika: "Everyone, arm yourself!"

souju: *hits a button, causing the incubator machines to open and release the other clones*

Clones: *groan...*

kazumi: *shaking*

clone: KREEEEEEEEEEEE!!!!!!

Saki: "!!!" *blocks*

kaoru: shit!

Umika: "Don't let that fiend get away!" *aims at Souju*

clone: *lunges at kazumi*

Satomi: "!!!" *attacks the clone*

kaoru: *picks kazumi up* come on!

Satomi: "..." *tries to reach for papers on the desk--*

-elsewhere-

izumi: ....

*the front door opens*

izumi: *looks up*

Spirit: *enters, staring down at a set of photos in his hands*

izumi: welcome home.

Spirit: "H-Hi..." *his tie is loosened, he looks like a mess* "I'm sorry I couldn't pick up everything..."

sachiko: what on earth happened?!

Spirit: "...We better sit down. C-Can I get some water?"

-and so-

Spirit: "--then I told the police."

izumi:.....

Spirit: "I'm speaking with Lord Death in the morning."

-elsewhere-

Kro: *flipping through pages of a sketchbook* "And this is of our HQ! And this is of my neighbor's parrot! And this is of a bowl of fruit--"

Black Star: TT~TT ("The one guy who speaks English here...")

Kro: *flips a page to a giant multi-eye monster*

tsubaki: !!!

Kro: "Oh! This is what the victim reported seeing before their eyes went--" *passes a hand over his face back and forth* "--blind. Wild, right?"

tsubaki: *looks at black*star*

Black Star: "FINALLY--SOMETHING WE CAN FIGHT! Where'd that monster go?!"

Sang: *covering his ears* ^^; <"He's certainly energetic...>

tsubaki: <that's one way to put it.> ^^;

Kro: "Oh! Um..." *flips through paperwork, all covered in doodles* "Ah! Bong had encountered the monster in an alley off of Jung-gu at the Dongdaemun Vegetable Market--"

Black Star: "WE'RE ON OUR WAY!" *runs...then walks back in* "Which way is that?"

tsubaki: -.-;

-elsewhere-

kabo: y'all got plans for the summer?

camie: malibu, baby!

Inasa: "Awesome! You going to get some TRAINING done for our LICENSES?!"

camie: yeaaaah that too! ^^;

Seiji: =_= "You both should take this seriously--or you'll never get your licenses at this rate." *bites into his burger*

camie: =3= mood killer.

Inasa: "AW, HE'S JUST SAYING THAT BECAUSE HE CARES!"

kabo: sure has a funny way of showing it.

Seiji: "No, I'm serious--I doubt either of you will get your license with the way you're carrying on."

Inasa: QwQ; "Ouch, buddy."

camie: i bet that rock's gonna make a fine diamond when it comes out.

Inasa: "??? I don't get it."

Seiji: -_-; "Kabo, what will you be doing?"

kabo: im gonna be helping my fam out with the farm.

Nagamasa: "How is your family doing?"

kabo: we're doing pretty well. weather's been nice.

Inasa: "What's in season? You got peppers?"

kabo: yep, plus we got zucchinis for ma's famous zucc pie!

Inasa: "YOU HAVE TO MAKE SOME FOR US BEFORE YOU LEAVE US BEHIND!"

Seiji: *hair blown back* ._.

-elsewhere-

*it's nighttime in Seoul...the downtown area is starting to disperse as people head home...*

*one woman is walking with her service dog*

Black Star: "IT'S THIS WAY, RIGHT?!"

tsubaki: not so loud...

Black Star: "Sorry--just wanted to see what was there to find a clue--"

*BUMP*

Woman: <Ow!> *knocked over*

tsubaki: ah! <sorry!>

Woman: <Ow...That really hurt...>

Black Star: "Hey, watch where you're going next time!"

Woman: "... ... ...What the hell did you just say to me?"

tsubaki: oh.

Dog: *helps her up*

Black Star: "... ... ..." *light bulb* ._.; "Oh shit--sorry!"

Woman: "Yeah, thanks a lot--OW!" *she has a cut along her arm*

tsubaki: ah! you're hurt!

Woman: "Ah, it must have been when I fell over..."

tsubaki: *taking a mini med-kid out of her bag*

Dog: *kneels down next to her*

Woman: "Do you have a bandage?"

tsubaki: here...

Woman: "Ah, thank you, ma'am..." *applies the bandage* "Bae, the groceries?"

Bae (the Dog): "WOOF!" *picks up the bag*

Black Star: " 'Bae'? Ha! That's funny!" *pets Bae*

Woman: -_-# "Could you not pet my dog while she's on duty?"

Bae: *growls*

tsubaki: ^^;

Bae: *barks--and runs into the alley*

Woman: "?! Bae! What is it?"

tsubaki: ah! *follows*

Black Star: "!!!" *picks the woman up* "I am really sorry about running into you, Miss--"

Woman: "Chul. Don't you know how to follow directions?"

Black Star: "I know where I'm going! Why don't you--...Oh, nevermind! Wait here..." *runs into the alley*

Bae: *chasing after something*

tsubaki: here bae! *whistles*

Bae: *corners something under a dumpster* "BARK BARK--"

*CRASH*

Bae: *knocked into a wall*

tsubaki: !!! *runs over to her*

Bae: *struggling to get up--before something whips at her leg...something covered in eyeballs*

tsubaki: !!!!!!

Bae: "WOOF!" *bites into the whip--ripping it off*

???: *inhuman scream, before it reveals itself, sliding along one snail-like tail...a giant creature, covered in eyeballs, just like Kro's drawing*

tsubaki:....*blade arm*

Eye Creature: *gurgles, its eyes shifting all over...*

*Tsubaki's eyes start to glow...as her vision starts going dark*

tsubaki: *SCREAMS*

*two new eyes start to form along the Eye Creature's body--*

*SLAM*

*Tsubaki's vision is restored*

tsubaki: ah!

Black Star: "TAKE THAT!" *slammed a dumpster on top of the Eye Creature*

Bae: *holding the Creature's tentacle in its mouth* "RAUR?" *head tilt*

tsubaki: black*star!

Black Star: "Hey! I caught the monster--"

*an eye-tentacle whips out, grabbing Black Star by the ankles and swinging him around*

Black Star: "WAAAAAAAH!"

-SLASH-

Black Star: *lands against the alley wall* "Thanks, Tsubaki! Let's kick this thing's ass--" *kicks the dumpster--revealing a giant slimy hole underneath it...and no creature* ._.

tsubaki:....

-elsewhere-

Sami: <Will you be needing anything else before beddy-bye time? Some sleepytime tea?> *literally tucking Soul into bed*

soul: =~=;

Francoise: <Stop babying the boy, Sami! You! Go to bed!>

Sami: ^^; <Good night, Mr. Evans!>

soul: <good night.>

Sami: *turns off the lights*

Francoise: *slams the door behind them*

soul:..... (well this has been a weird day.)

*phone vibrates on the nightstand*

soul: *checks*

Blair: {they're so cute >w< } *photo attached of the kids asleep on the couch*

soul:...*smile*

-morning-

-it looks a little damp outside, like it rained a bit-

Izuku: *jogging*

jirou: sup, midoriya.

Izuku: "Oh, Jirou--hello! You're getting an early start!"

jirou: guess so.

Izuku: ^^; "Sorry--just trying to keep my training up before the summer trip."

jirou: yeah, thats like, any day now.

Izuku: *nods* "I had to finish shopping from online purchases after--...Well, after." *slight shiver*

-elsewhere-

Asher: "Thanks for the alternative ride this morning, Mrs. Albarn."

sachiko: no problem. you got your lunch all packed?

izumi: yes, mom.

Asher: *holds up a bag*

-elsewhere-

Gen: =_= "...I try to run a nice clean facility..."

Spirit: *crying over the remains of his car, scattered all over Gen's workshop*

Gen: "And you ruin that for me. Why."

Spirit: *sobbing*

hakuno: come on, albarn, suck it up!

Spirit: "My baby! Those crazy assassins and damn thieves ruined my baby! Please, re-build it!"

lord death: *ahem*

Spirit: Q~Q *wipes his nose* "R-Right..." *clears his throat* "The police identified the two thieves as two-bit hoodlums, but the assassin definitely was from that Crimson group."

lord death: hmm...

Gen: *examining a sliced fender* "Gee, no wonder you couldn't out-run them in this old jalopy--"

Spirit: OnO#

Gen: *whistles innocently* >_>;

Spirit: "But why would they target me--I'm lovable!"

hakuno: -.-;

lord death: given the position of power death scythes have, it would make sense they would be targeted by an enemy faction.

Spirit: "But to kill me? That's a bit much for some assassins to show themselves!"

hakuno: ....

Gen: "Things are getting more desperate after those Kishin people showed up. Everyone's skittish--and thinks they can make a power play."

-elsewhere-

*there is a dungeon...*

Twice: *walks up to the jail bars with a tray of food* "Mornin', sunshine~!"

Queen: *locked in the cell, emaciated, bandages on her arms* "..."

Twice: "Hey, Banshee--take a break, it's my watch."

Queen: *growls*

banshee: *nods and exits*

Dabi: *standing in the hallway, looking irritated*

banshee:.....?

Dabi: "...It's quieter here than the noise upstairs with those loons."

banshee: i suppose so.

Dabi: "...I finished errands. Your meal is in the fridge."

banshee: thank you.

Dabi: "..." *grunts, goes back to leaning against the wall*

Twice: *heard yelling inside the dungeon* "No, you're supposed to _eat_ with the fork!" *pokes his head outside--with the fork jabbed in his forehead* "Dabi, be a dear and help? THAT'S AN ORDER!"

-elsewhere-

mirai: .......

Umika: *carrying a tray of food* "...You eaten yet? I was hoping to get Kazumi to eat..."

mirai: saki got me some french toast.

Umika: "..." *nods* "Okay. Please try to be patient with Kazumi--this is a lot of information to take in."

kaoru: no kidding, i mean, if i were in her situation....

Satomi: *overhearing from the hall before she steps in* "All we can do is be supportive and listen to her--it'd be more useful than just sitting around."

-elsewhere-

Saria: "Morning! Was that your mother dropping you two off?"

izumi: yep.

Kanin: "He was crying and saying something about 'my darling red and sleek baby.'"

izumi: ^-^; yeah, his car... it got kinda totaled.

lei-lei: golly! i hope he's alright!

Asher: "He was pretty shaken up."

Axel: "Did someone say a mechanic?" *pulls out a wrench*

-elsewhere-

Anya: *in outback attire and carrying a giant bug net* "I am ready to confront the Australian wilderness." *swing swing*

mio: Q-Q

Meme: "Relax, we're not even out of the airport! It's not like there's some wildlife already--"

*a crocodile is sitting in the back of a Jeep to pick them up*

crocodile: yo.

Anya: *smug look* "Don't you hate being wrong all the time?"

ao: i dont know, dont you hate having a spider in your hair?

Anya: *LOUD SCREAM, rips off her hat, smacking it against the side of the Jeep*

ao: made you look~ ^^

Anya: OnO#

Meme: ._.; "Um...We were expecting a ride to see Miss Mjolnir?"

driver: hop on in.

tsugumi: so no one is gonna acknowledge that the crocodile just spoke?............no one?..........just me?.........ok then.

-elsewhere-

Iida: "Forward, forward! The bell will ring shortly!"

Bakugo: "Jeez, the stick up your butt must be extra rigid today..."

Iida: "THAT IS A LIE AND YOU KNOW IT!"

kaminari: *snicker*

Izuku: *runs into the room*

Eijiro: "Morning!"

Aizawa: *already in the classroom...asleep*

ochako: im here! *coming in through the window* my alarm clock broke.

Mina: "Wow, swinging in like Spider-Girl! Training must be paying off!"

tsuyu: *also comes in through a window*

*tick tick--DING*

Aizawa: *bolts up awake* "In your seats."

-everyone's seated-

Aizawa: "We're finishing up your training camp route. Be present at 5 AM, as we're leaving bright and early...So early..."

*the blackboard behind him has a chart on it*

Aizawa: "This also should prepare you for your daily training schedule--" *he taps the blackboard--and the electronic portion lists a daily schedule--including one marked "REMEDIAL" with the names of Mina, Eijiro, and others*

kaminari: owo;

Eijiro: "Aw, man..."

Mineta: OnO# "WHY AM I LISTED?! I DIDN'T FAIL THE EXAM--SERO DID!"

Sero: "Hey!"

Aizawa: "I can answer that..." *disappears behind the desk, and a grunting sound is heard*

ochako: ??

Aizawa: *lifts up a very heavy binder folder labeled "WHAT MINETA DID"*

Mineta: ._.

jirou: *almost falls out of her seat*

Mineta: "B-But I still passed the exam!"

Aizawa: "Yes, you did. And yet the complaints keep coming in about conduct. Need I remind you of the Sports Festival? Or the locker room incident?"

tsuyu: let's not forget last thursday.

Aizawa: "...I don't have a record of last Thursday." *pulls out stationery and pen*

Mineta: Q_Q *trying to inch out of the room*

jirou: you stay and face your crimes, coward.

Mineta: "..." *sighs* *turns, faces the class* "Part of being a hero is having the courage to face your fears."

Izuku: "Aw, Mineta..."

Mineta: "The other part IS KNOWING WHEN TO RUN FOR SAFETY!" *bolts*

Aizawa: *flings his scarves* "New assignment--capture the coward."

tsuyu: way ahead of you.

ochako: omae wa mou shindeiru.

-meanwhile-

Shinso: *walking down the hall--*

Iida: "GET BACK HERE!"

Mineta: "NEVER!" *runs by Shinso*

Shinso: "... ... ..."

ochako: dont just stand there, get him!

Shinso: "..."

Mineta: *cornered in the other hall, turns, runs back--*

Shinso: "..." *holds out his foot--*

-le trip-

Mineta: *slow-motion* "NOOOOOOOOOO--" *face-plant*

jirou: time to pay for your crimes.

Shinso: <What did he do this time? Is this about the fly paper and rubberbands?>

Mineta: D8 "SPARE ME, JIROU! REMEMBER THE GOOD TIMES WE HAD TOGETHER!"

jirou:.....you know what, i've thought about it....

Mineta: 8D

jirou: and i've decided....im going to destroy you twice as hard now.

Mineta: Q_Q

Aizawa: "I said capture, not 'destroy.'"

-what occurred next was far too heinous to depict here-

Aizawa: ._.;;;; ("Oh, the principal is going to rip me for this one...")

Shinso: "..." *tilts his head*

Mineta: *horrifying shriek*

-elsewhere-

Customer: "--and I don't appreciate people like you showing up where I live! This used to be a nice community before your kind showed up!"

Cashier: *has a Quirk* =_= "Sir, this is a Death Mart."

mitsuki: *checking the wine rack and humming*

Inko: "Mitsuki?"

mitsuki: oh hey girl!

Inko: ^^ "Hello! How's it going?"

mitsuki: oh the usual. and yourself?

Inko: "The same. I was trying to find something for Izuku's workout diet. How's Katsuki?"

mitsuki: oh, you know how he gets. ^^; *mutters* beingalittleshit...

Inko: "Oh dear...I was worried after Izuku mentioned their last exam...It sounded far too violent." T~T

Customer: "IF I HAD A FACE LIKE THAT, YOU MUTATED FREAK, I'D STAY HOME!"

Cashier: =_=#

mitsuki: ! you got a problem with quirks, buddy?!

Customer: "I got a problem with ones that turn people ugly! This asshole didn't give me the right change--probably because his stupid eyes are on either side of his head."

Cashier: *blinks in annoyance*

Inko: "...Well, it takes all kinds, _sir_."

Customer: "Did anyone ask you two old hags?"

mitsuki: HOW ABOUT WE TAKE THIS OUTSIDE, BUDDY?!

Customer: "Well, Dad raised me never to hit a woman--too bad I don't see any here!"

Inko: "... ... ..." *sets her purse down in her shopping cart*

mitsuki: you know what's gonna happen if you dont shut up, im going to punch my fist through your teeth, down your throat, grab you by the BALLS and PULL YOU INSIDE THE FUCK OUT!

Customer: "Probably the only action you've gotten in the last year."

Inko: *rolls up a sleeve...*

mitsuki: WHY YOU LITTLE PIECE OF SHIT!!

Manager: "Sir, I'm going to have to ask you to--"

Customer: *swings his fist towards the manager*

-WHA-BAM-

Inko: =_=# "Some people nowadays are so inconsiderate, aren't they?"

mitsuki: *has the customer in a chokehold*

Customer: *high-pitch squeak* "Ow! Let me go, please! Owie owie owie!"

Inko: "Hold him still, Mitsuki--I don't want to have to deal another one..."

Manager: ._. "..." *dials the cops*

-elsewhere-

Black Star: "AND IT WAS SUPER GROSS--EYES EVERYWHERE!"

tsubaki: ^^;

Physician: =_=# <It is really pathetic that you two needed a dog to procure this sample from the creature...> *keeps it under glass* <Where did the dog even disappear to?>

tsubaki: <they left before you got here...>

Black Star: ._. "???"

Sang: <What a shame--we really could have gotten more information.> *smiles, pats Physician's back* <Good thing we have an excellent forensics team! I'm sure we'll get to the bottom of this!>

Physician: =_=#

Sang: <Why don't you two see the town? It would help to acclimate yourself.>

tsubaki: that sounds like a good idea.

Black Star: "Yeah! Let's go find that blob monster in the sewers!" *has not heard of word of this in Korean*

Kro: "Oh! I can give you the tour!"

-elsewhere-

Vortex Cafe Master: "We heard the crash all the way down here...An entire car, through your window?"

Kunikida: =_=

cafe master's wife: did anyone get hurt?

Kunikida: "No, thank goodness. Our team was able to stop the vehicle."

Lucy: =_=

atsushi: and the consultation office was nice enough to offer their office temporarily while we do repairs.

Kenji: "Their plants are so friendly!" ^w^

*the cafe door opens*

Cervantes: "GOOD DAY!"

frances: hello dears~

Kunikida: *nods* "Ms. Burnett."

Kenji: "Hiya! Did you finish watering already?"

frances: indeed i have, young kenji. *looks at the cafe master* i'll have my usual please. *hands him the money*

Master: *smiles* "Right away." *begins brewing*

-elsewhere-

Blair: "AW, YOU LOOK SO ADORABLE IN YOUR UNIFORMS!"

Damon: ._.

becky: -_-; did dad approve this?

Blair: "He wanted you to have a busy and productive summer! I heard the Death Scouts do all neato activities! First aid, weaving, build campfires..."

becky:....i guess i've always wanted to do scouts. 7.7;

Damon: "I was hoping to stay indoors and read?"

Blair: "You can read the Scout Guidebook--" *pulls out a pocket-size book*

Damon: "???" *opens it* "Oh, a bug guide!"

-elsewhere-

Chuuya: *fanning himself* "I just want to figure out something to keep busy, you know?"

naoya: i feel ya.

Chuuya: "And with the girls, that's a challenge, to keep them occupied, you know? It feels like I haven't had a night off..."

naoya: i could look after them for a day if you'd like.

Chuuya: "Oh, that'd help--thanks! What would you like to do with them--anywhere you'd want to go?"

naoya: i could take them to the zoo or mephyland or something.

Chuuya: "Not bad choices--although I'll have to ask Sonia first...That clown on the Mephyland logo is creepy."

-elsewhere-

stocking: zzzz....

Kid: *holds her, gently rubbing her shoulder*

stocking: *nuzzles up to him* =///w///=

Kid: *yawns* "Love you..."

stocking: hmhm~ ^^

Kid: "Want to just stay in bed?"

stocking: yus.

Kid: *smiles* "I love summer breaks..." *nuzzle*

stocking: mmmm~<3

Kid: *kisses her shoulder*

-elsewhere-

#death city days

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sonicfandomsecretsanta · 7 years ago

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@dxrkblaze submitted:

Sonic approached Amy’s house one evening, satisfied with how the fallen snow crunched beneath his boots with each step he took. It was around six o'clock on Christmas Eve, and normally, both he and Amy would have been arriving at Rouge’s annual Christmas party by that point. However, Amy had been sick - or “miserable”, as she put it in one of her texts - for nearly a week, and her condition had shown no signs of improvement. She wasn’t fit to leave her house, let alone converse and be her cheery self at a party.

Thus, Amy decided not to attend. Shadow had been assigned the task of bringing her gifts from everyone, and he had done so that afternoon. Sonic wanted to give Amy his present in person, though, and he now turned it over in his hand: an elongated box covered with snowflake-patterned gift wrap. The blue hedgehog beamed with pride as he faced the front door. He knew his gift would be appreciated unconditionally, but he was certain he had picked out an incredible gift for one of his most cherished friends.

Three confident knocks were placed on the door, and Sonic entered after there was a muffled response from inside. Amy was lying on her couch, watching television as she drank from a steaming mug. Dark circles were present under her tired eyes, which expressed her illness along with a bit of redness on the underside of her nose. Indeed, she looked the worse for wear, but Sonic still flashed a cheerful grin at her.

“Hey, Amy! Feel any better?” he chimed, closing the door behind him.

As one would expect, Amy powered through her aching eyes and chilled skin to smile back. “A little,” she replied weakly. Her voice was lowered, and slightly hoarse from endless bouts of coughing. She raised a tissue to her nose, and dropped her positive facade. “My meds haven’t kicked back in yet. I’m sorry you have to see me like this.”

Sonic tilted his head in suspicion, but kept an enthusiastic tone as he pulled a chair next to Amy. “Nah, don’t worry about that. I couldn’t leave ya’ all alone on Christmas Eve!”

Amy took another sip of her drink, refusing to look Sonic’s way. “Well, sorry for keeping you from the party, then.”

Sonic narrowed his gaze. “Amy? Are you okay?”

“I’m sick.”

“No, I mean, are you actually okay? You don’t have to apologize to me or anything, ya’ know.”

Amy coughed into her blanket. She sat up, and placed her mug on the coffee table in front of the couch. “Yeah, I’m fine. I just hate being cooped up in the house, I guess.” She sighed. “I’ve been thinking a lot, recently.”

“Hm? About what?”

The pink one finally raised her eyes. “Just… Well, I guess what I’m really sorry about is always chasing you around. Trying to get your attention. It just dawned on me that, maybe it’s a little selfish to do that. Especially when we’re all so busy. I don’t know.”

Sonic’s ears flicked back, and his eyes widened. He was so shocked by Amy’s admission, it took him a moment to find a starting point for a response. Eventually, he spoke up. “Amy, you know I don’t mind that, right? It doesn’t bother me at all.” Sonic felt a rush of heat to his face, and looked away with a grin. “I actually enjoy it when you chase me around.”

“What? Really?”

Sonic chuckled, trying to relax his nerves without breaking his bravado. “Of course. I always kinda’ treat it as a game, I guess.”

“So you… don’t hate me?”

That question contoured Sonic’s face with confusion. “What?” he said, lifting a hand to Amy’s forehead. “Those meds must be some good stuff for you to ask me something like that. That’s crazy talk! You’re one of my best friends ever. If anything, I should be apologizing to you if you really thought something else.”

Amy smiled, and allowed her heavy eyes to rest for a moment. “I guess I’ve just been thinking too much lately. I thought you might be getting tired of me.”

Sonic rolled his eyes, and hid his face once more. “Ah, c'mon Amy, don’t make me say it!”

“Say what?”

The blue one groaned, and then chuckled again. Something about the situation - perhaps seeing Amy so vulnerable, so unlike her normal self - made Sonic more inclined to speak freely. It was unlike anything he had ever felt. He cleared his throat. “Well, let’s just say that… uh, whatever it is you feel for me, I feel the same for you, m'kay?”

Amy suddenly sat up, and found Sonic’s blush hidden behind a nervous smile. Her brow furrowed. “You’d better not be lying just to make me feel better…”

“Nope! I’m serious, unfortunately. Err, well, not unfortunately, but… ya’ know. I’m not very good at talking about stuff like this. I do hope it makes ya’ feel a little better, though.”

Amy’s gaze didn’t veer from Sonic’s, until some tears began to fill her eyes. “That makes me so happy, Sonic. You don’t understand.”

“Heh… maybe I should’ve said something sooner, then.”

“Now I feel less guilty about giving you this,” Amy pointed to a small, unwrapped box on the coffee table, and encouraged Sonic to open it. He did so, and removed a thin, golden necklace from it. A heart-shaped locket was its pendant, and inside there was a small picture that Amy had taken of the two of them, both making silly faces for the camera. The pink hedgehog giggled. “It was kind of a last-minute thing, because I couldn’t figure out what to get you. So, I just went with something sentimental.”

“That’s awesome!” Sonic assured her, doubling it over his wrist. “I’m not real into necklaces, but I’ll definitely wear it as a bracelet. Thanks!”

Amy blew her nose, and carefully unwrapped her present once Sonic placed it on her lap. She opened the box, and dangled a small, silver chain with a shining heart attached to it. On the pendant, her name was engraved in cursive. Amy gasped, and held it below her lamp to get a better look at it.

“It’s a little charm - for your hammer!” Sonic explained, “Tails helped me make it. It’s made from the same metal the Tornado is, so it should be pretty durable.”

Amy pulled the charm into her blanket, and pressed it to her chest. “That’s so thoughtful of you, Sonic. I love it,” she said, beginning to tear up again.

The soft voices on the television were all that filled the room for a moment. Sonic’s eyes fell as Amy sniffed, and she continued expressing her gratitude for the gift. He then interrupted her by leaning in close, and placing a kiss on her muzzle.

Amy’s eyes shot wide, and she touched her cheek. “Sonic! You’ll get sick!”

Sonic shrugged, flashing another smirk. “I’ll probably catch it anyways. I don’t think I’m going to the party. I’ll stay here with you, so you’re not all alone.” He stood up, and began walking to the kitchen.

“Sonic, you don’t have to-” Amy coughed. “I’ll be fine, for real.”

The blue one waved a dismissive hand. “Nah, I was thinking about it anyways. I can’t just leave ya’ here! Besides, uh, we probably have some stuff to talk about now.” He turned to conceal his slight embarrassment, and scratched the back of his head.

Amy smiled into her blanket, half-lidded eyes fixed on the floor. “If you really want to.”

Sonic nodded. “I do. Now hang tight, I’m gonna’ call Vanilla and ask her for her chicken noodle soup recipe. It always makes me feel better when I’m sick.”

“Thanks, Sonic.”

“No problem!”

With that, Amy brought her knees to her chest, and clutched the charm in her palm once more. All the sadness hanging over her illness had melted away, just as the illness itself would soon enough. Amy felt revived, and couldn’t wait to her emotions to be spent in a more positive manner for the remainder of the holiday season. No matter what the future held, and no matter her physical condition, she knew that her year would end on the highest of highs; Sonic, of course, would have been quick to agree.

(A/N: I hope you’re having a great holiday season, bouncepaaad! I’ve never really written Sonamy before, so I hope this turned out okay. After getting your prompt, I started thinking about how a love confession might go between these two (I’m not very good at angst), and well… this happened! Tried to keep them as in-character as possible, lol. Merry Christmas again, and have a great new year!)

#gift #submission #bouncepaaad #sonamy #amy rose #sonic the hedgehog

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fanfictionfrustration · 7 years ago

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Diary Days ~ Sonamy

A/N -

Sonamy!Boom.

Sonic’s helping Amy spring clean, but he finds something he shouldn’t.

Chapter 2.

Sonic ran out, he didn’t know where he was going, his legs where just moving on their own accord. He hated himself. How could he do that to her? He went through her most personal things. He just got so carried away with reading all of the things she had to say about him. But the look of pain that was plastered to her face when she realised what he had done, it killed him. He felt awful. How in the world was he going to make this right?

Amy had picked herself up off the floor, she walked into her room and found the books strewn across the floor. There weren’t as many as she had expected but still shouldn’t have gone through any of them. Amy collected the few that weren’t in the box and put them neatly back where they belonged, sealing the box shut tight.

Sonic had stopped, he was looking out over the village, he’d found higher ground and was talking in the view. It really was a pretty village. He needed time to think, to think of the best way to make it up to Amy. But how? Sonic’s communicator started to beep, he looked to see who was calling him, an image of Tails flashing.

“What’s up buddy?” Sonic asked with a sigh.

“Sonic, Eggman’s attacking! We need you here, quick.” Tails shouted forcefully.

“I’ll be right there.” He replied before ending the call.

Maybe this was a good thing, a good battle would help clear his head. He ran to meet his team, Sticks Tails and Knuckles seemed to have a good handle on things, but Sonic gave that extra wham that the team needed to defeat Eggman.

“See ya later Eggface!” Sonic shouted as Eggman retreated to his lair.

“Good job guys!” Tails said enthusiastically.

The team cheered in unison.

“Where’s Amy? I tried calling her, but she didn’t pick up. Weren’t you with her Sonic?” Sticks asked as they walked away from the battle field.

“Um, yeah, I was.” Sonic replied sheepishly.

“What happened?” Tails asked rolling his eyes.

“Happened? Nothing? Why do you ask? It’s not like anything happened. Nothing that could ruin our friendship forever, nothing at all…” Sonic began blabbering.

“Sonic!” Tails shouted.

“Ok. I may have read a few of her diaries.” Sonic said trailing off quietly.

“YOU DID WHAT!” Tails shouted in response.

“Not cool Sonic,” Knuckles said shaking his head.

“I didn’t mean to ok! There was this box, and loads of books, so I picked one up and read the first page, and then maybe read a few of the other books, well skimmed them. I just wanted to know what she said about me.” Sonic rambled off his explanation.

“That’s no excuse Sonic, you need to make it up to her.” Tails said in a disappointed tone.

“That’s the thing I don’t know how.” He sighed.

“Well Amy is usual a forgiving person, you just need to show her that you truly are sorry.”

Meanwhile back at Amy’s home she had cleaned up a bit more, she was a lot calmer now. She was still hurt, but she didn’t want to fight with Sonic. She would just give him the silent treatment for a while. She decided to go for a walk and take a break from cleaning. She wasn’t sure where her feet where taking her, but she ended up at stick’s place. But when she knocked on the door she got no response, she tried knocking louder the second time but still got no answer, after the third try she gave up and decided to go into town, shopping always made her feel better.

As she approached the town, she saw her group of friends chatting, she was about to call out to them, when she noticed Sonic with them. He seemed to be getting a lecture, he must have told them what he’d done. Usually Amy would never eaves drop, but she wanted to hear what Sonic had to say. She snuck around and hid behind a tree and began listening.

“Look Tails, I’ve been thinking none stop, I just don’t know what to do.” Sonic said sighing.

“Well you shouldn’t have read them in the first place then!” Sticks snapped at him.

“I know! But she kept saying nice things about me, and…I…I don’t know I…just wanted to hear what else she thought of me.” He said sheepishly.

He cared that much about what she thought of him?

“Would you just admit that you like her already, this is getting ridiculous.” Knuckles said sounding rather done with Sonic’s nonsense.

“I DONT… ok, maybe I do like Amy. But she hates me now, so what I feel means nothing.” Sonic snapped.

Amy’s heart was pounding! He liked her? They flirted now and then, but Sonic was a flirt she didn’t think anything of it. But he liked her! He read her dairies because he liked her? That still didn’t give him an excuse, but he did it out of relatively good intentions she supposed.

“Well Sonic, I think you’re gonna have to wait this one out. She’ll forgive you eventually.” Tails said sorrowfully.

“We’re all gonna die before she forgives me, aren’t we.” Sonic sighed heavily.

“Sorry buddy.” Knuckles said consolingly.

Tails was right, Amy knew sonic needed to be taught a lesson, and she had the perfect plan.

A/N -

The drama! Whats gonna happen? Who knows…I do but that’s not the point. I hope you all enjoyed chapter two!! Chapter three should be up soon!

Sorry for my spelling and grammar, dyslexia…blah blah blah. If you have anything you want me to write give me a message, and ill give you a yay or nay.

Chapter 1 [ x ]

Chapter 2 [You are here]

Chapter 3 [ x ]

#sonamy #sonic #sonic boom #sonic the hedgehog #boom!sonamy #amy rose #amy rose the hedgehog #fanfic #my fanfiction #diary days

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travelingartistgamer · 7 years ago

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FANFIC: Temporal Shadow: Roboticized - Chapter 01

It's fanfic time! This is the start of my Sonic fanfic series where I rewrote the timeline of the Sonic comics, starting with Sonic #51. What if Shadow came back in time to the night after Robotnik was defeated? And what if Sonic was being roboticized...again? ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Before we begin: ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ This story takes place right after the "Endgame" storyline in Archie Comic's Sonic the Hedgehog #50. Sonic had recently defeated the evil Dr Robotnik and destroyed his Ultimate Annialator. But as the dust begins to settle, there are still enemies that had been overlooked, still on the loose. At what price will Sonic and the others pay for this soon-to-be catastrophie? The answer may become more complicated, as the barriers of time rip open, and a temporal anomoly appears... ~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Author's Note: ~~~~~~~~~~~~~ This is not just a rewrite of one of my first online fanfics, but simply its been 'remixed' (no pun intended) to add new elements and to retcon my old fanfics to reflect my updated views on the Sonicverse. Also, instead of being set in the SatAM verse as it was in the original fanfic, I decided to set this in the Archie Comics Sonic the Hedgehog 'Original' Continuality. It would fit better, I like the storyline better, and, considering that as of this writing (June 2017) that the fate of the comics are up in the air, I would like to consider this as a tribute to the original storyline that most people fell in love with, before the big giant reboot that Ian Flynn was forced to do. Also-oh, nope, wait, no, I'm not gonna give ya the warning. It's 2017, I expect people to grow up about certain subjects. Anyone who knows me, knows what I'm talking about. And if you're new to my stories, you'll figure it out. _____________________________________________________________________________ Temporal Shadow: Roboticized written by Sonic Remix Sonic the Hedgehog and related characters and indica © and ™ 1991 - 2017 SEGA | Sonic Team Please be sure to leave a review! Contact: [email protected] Visit: sonadow.com _____________________________________________________________________________ ----------- Prolouge ----------- MOBIUS ALTERNATE TIMELINE High on a cliffside overlooking the great city of Mobotropolis, a lone black hedgehog stood before a silver shapeless mass that loomed over him. The black hedgehog bared his teeth, staring down the mass. He was at a loss on what to do as he dodged an attack from it. It was trying to surge forth and smother the black hedgehog in its liquid like silvery mass. The hedgehog growled into a communicator on his wrist as he dodged another attack. "Rouge, where is that damn chaos emerald?! I can't fry these nanobots without it!" Over the radio, the hedgehog could hear the female voice of his partner respond as he backflipped from one of the tentacles of the nanobot mass. "Just a few more moments, Shadow! Keep it busy, just don't let it touch you!" Shadow growled as he backed up from the mass. "No kidding." Suddenly he began to stumble in his footing, feeling off balance. He looked back long enough to notice that he had winded up on the cliff edge. "Shit!" That thing had him trapped. He looked forward towards the shapeless creature, which looked like was ready to surge forth and attack. He braced himself as a wave of liquid metal began to surge forth, but a teal glow began to surround it, preventing it from moving. Shadow faultered. "What the-?!" He looked up to see a silvery hedgehog, surrounded in a glowing teal color, descending from the sky and landing beside Shadow. His arms were stretched out, and he looked like he was struggling. "Silver!" Silver strained to speak as he concentrated. "I can't...hold it for long...if...you have a plan...better do it now!" "Keep holding it, Silver! We need to buy time for Rouge to show up!" Shadow said. "Did someone call me?" Rouge the Bat came up from behind, her wings flapping as she threw a green colored jewel at Shadow. "Catch!" Shadow caught the emerald in his hand and looked towards Silver. "Silver, wrap me in a force bubble!" Silver looked to Shadow momentarily, before he released the silvery monster from his hold, and turned his powers on Shadow. The black hedgehog became engulfed in the teal glow. "Perfect!" Shadow began to run forward towards the monster, letting the liquid engulf him completely. With the force bubble surrounding him, he was able to keep it from touching him. "Alright you roboticizing monstrostity, time to take you out once and for all!" He closed his eyes and began to concentrate, drawing power from the emerald in his hand. "Chaos.....BLAST!!!" From outside, there was an enourmous explosion of energy, enough to blind both Rouge and Silver. As Rouge landed on the ground, Silver lifted his arms to cover his eyes, releasing his powers on Shadow. When the two were able to look again, they had seen that not only had the liquid monster had lost its cohesion and scattered about the grass, dead and lifeless, but Shadow himself wasn't even there. Rouge gasped. "Shadow...he's gone!" Silver paniced. "Oh no, what if the combination of chaos blast and my powers-" Rouge covered his mouth. "Don't even say it!" Silver pulled her hand away. "I have to go, I need to report back!" Before Rouge had a chance to say a word, Silver began to glow and take off into the air. Rouge merely stared into the sky. "...TO WHO?!" ------------- Chapter 01 ------------- MOBIUS PRIME TIMELINE KNOTHOLE VILLAGE FREEDOM FIGHTER COMPOUND Fireworks. Campfires. Music. Cheering. Dancing. Celebration. These would be the words to describe the events and atmosphere of the village of Knothole. A great dictator has fallen, all thanks to the heroics of Sonic the Hedgehog and his freedom fighting friends. But a short distance away from the celebrations, Sonic and his friends were meeting up, a request fron the Princess Sally. She spoke up as he and the others appeoached her. "Isn't this great? We been waiting our whole lives for this moment, Sonic! We couldn't of done it without you." Sonic nodded cheerfully. "Man, I have no idea what to say, Sal! It feels like a dream. But, why'd you call us here anyway? Shouldn't we be celebrating with the others?" Sally gave somewhat of a soft laugh. "Well, I wanted to surprise you! I figured it would be better to do so in the company of close friends rather than in front of everyone." A metallic chuckle came from behind Sonic as a robotic hedgehog with an elderly appearance stepped up and laid a hand on Sonic's shoulder. "Heh heh. Knowing my nephew, he'd probably love all the extra attention from the crowd." Sonic smirked. "What? I can be a humble 'hog too, Uncle Chuck! Am I missing something though? What's going on?" Before Sally could answer, there was a sudden crack of thunder, as what looked like a lightning storm was forming high overhead. "Whew, the weather is sure turning fast. Better make this quick before it gets too bad." She pulled out a box from behind her back. "Sonic the Hedgehog, for your outstanding bravery, bold courage, and strong leadership-" Sally started to open the box, where a lightning bug suddenly flew out. "Oh! Oh dear, where did that come from?" She watched as it flew away before looking back into the box, where a gold medal laid. "-the freedom fighters award you!" As she began to take out the medal to put on Sonic, there was another crack of thunder, and a sound was starting to grow louder and closer from above. It sounded like...yelling? Everyone looked up in time to watch something crash down right into Sonic, knocking him to the ground. "YOW!!!" "Sonic!" the others yelled and ran to help him get whatever crashed into him off. Sonic groaned and helped push off what looked to be a black hedgehog. He hissed and clutched his chest as some of the hedgehog's quills had jabbed into him. "Ow!" The black hedgehog groaned and stumbled back as some let go of him to go to Sonic's side. Sally looked worried, having dropped the box with the medal to help Sonic. "Oh Sonic, that looks bad! Let's get you to the doctor." Sonic groaned. "No argument from me, Sal..." As he was escorted away with Sally, Uncle Chuck and Tails, Sally looked back at those remaining. "Help him up and find out what's going on!" Antoine made a salute as Bunnie and Rotor helped the hedgehog to his feet. "Hey, you okay?" the walrus asked. Shadow groaned as he stumbled a bit, feeling dizzy. "I think so, just feeling woozy...it'll go away I think..." "Good, good...what's your name?" Shadow looked to the walrus, his vision starting to clear. "Shadow. Who-" He paused. "...Rotor...?" Rotor blinked. "Do you know me?" Shadow looked around. "Bunnie...Antoine?" He turned about. "...where am I?" Bunnie and Antoine stared at the strange hedgehog as Rotor answered. "You're in Knothole. How do you know us?" Shadow looked to Rotor for a moment before another crack of thunder sounded. Shadow looked up to see the electric storm overhead. He murmured. "Temporal storm..." "What???" Shadow looked back to Rotor. "...what year is this?" Rotor just stood there, dumbfounded. "....what???" Shadow grasped Rotor by the arm and pointed up. "See that?" As Rotor looked up, Shadow continued. "That is a temporal storm. It disrupts time. I must of fallen through a tear in the fabric of time and landed somewhere in the past." He had Rotor look at him. "So I'm going to ask you again. What. Year. Is. This?" Rotor stumbled as he tried to find his words. "Um...uh...its...um...3235..." Shadow let go and stepped away, thinking. "3235...3235...the year the first Robotnik war ended..." "FIRST Robotnik War?" Rotor asked in bewilderment. "We just ended the war!" Shadow looked back at Rotor. "Just ended? Like how long ago?" "Yesterday! Sonic destroyed the weapon Robotnik had and he's gone!" "Sonic..." Shadow murmured, looking around. "Where IS Sonic anyway?" "Headed to the medical facility. You jammed your quills pretty good into him when you landed on him." "What?! Shit!" Shadow cursed before suddenly taking off in the direction of where Sonic and the others were headed. Rotor, Antoine, and Bunnie merely stared at where Shadow took off, before Bunnie looked to the others. "...did that boy just cuss?" --- As Sonic was getting his wounds tended to by Doctor Quack, there was a rather loud commotion coming from outside. Sally and Chuck stood up just as the black hedgehog came in, pulling one of the people standing watch off his arm. "Let me in, I need to see Sonic!" Sally came over and touch the watchman's shoulder. "We got this." He looked at her and nodded, walking away as Chuck stood in Shadow's path. "Who are you? What's your business with Sonic?" Shadow had to stop for a moment. "Uncle Chuck? You're..." He shook his head. He had never seen Sir Charles as a robot. This was a different time. "Sorry. My name is Shadow. I need to see if Sonic's alright." Chuck looked back to Sonic before looking to Shadow. "He'll be okay. How do you know Sonic?" "Long...long story. Please, can I talk to him?" Chuck sighed. "Let the doctor finish with him first." After a bit, Chuck let Shadow in to see the bandaged Sonic laying in bed. He sat up when he saw the black hedgehog approached. Shadow faultered a moment when he saw Sonic. "Whoa...I...um...right...different time, different time..." Sonic gave him a strange look. "What're you talking about?" Shadow shook his head. "Sorry. I know you're supposed to be younger but..you look so different." "Um..." Now Sonic was even more confused. "What are you going on about, dude?" Shadow sighed in frustration and sat down by Sonic's bedside. "My name's Shadow. Sorry about dropping in and injuring you. I wasn't expecting that to happen." "Uuuh...yeah, no problem. What about you, are you okay?" Shadow nodded. "I will be. Just a little disoriented." "Well at least one of us came out of this unscathed." Sonic chuckled. "I should of known I wouldn't get a day off, even with Robotnik gone. So what happened anyway? Not every day that hedgehogs fall out of the sky...well-" Sonic paused. "I may have, once or twice...but that just makes me all the more curious as to where you come from." Shadow smiled rather wryly. "From the future, apparently." Sonic's ears perked up. "The future, really?" Shadow nodded. "Apparently I accidently time traveled to the past when I was fighting...some monstrosity...long story..." "Heh, you look like a fighter. I'd love to hear stories when I'm feeling better." Shadow smirked a bit. "Something tells me I'm gonna be here a long while until I can figure out what sent me back here to the past." Shadow looked to Sally and frowned a bit. "Um...if you don't mind me asking, is there a place I can stay?" Sally took note of Shadow's look but nodded. "Of course, I'll make sure that a place is arranged for you to stay at." Sonic looked to the doctor. "What about me? Can I go home yet?" Doctor Quack frowned but nodded. "I suppose there's no harm in releasing you. You're all patched up. I would like to check up on you in a few days to make sure your wounds are healing okay." Shadow nodded and winced as he moved, but managed to stand himself up. "Quite alright with me, Doc. I think I'm gonna hit the hay early." He looked to Shadow and smiled. "It was nice meeting you." Shadow nodded, watching Sonic leave. "Thanks Sonic...it's...good...to see you again. See you in the morning." ---- After Sonic got home, he prepared to go to bed when he looked down at his bandages. Apparently some spots where he was bleeding through the bandage were starting to turn lighter in color, like an amber brown. He reached to pull off the wrappings to get a better look. The wound was closing up, but the area around it was covered in a amber colored substance, caking up and feeling oily. The first thought that came into his mind was to go back and ask Dr Quack about it, but moments later, he decided it would probably be best to wait till morning. Putting his wraps back on, he went and settled for bed. Click to Post

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sonicwarfareofficial-blog · 7 years ago

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Sonic Warfare Chapter 2

He looked...so much meatier in real life. His features were more leathery, and he had a turkey neck. Eggman stirred up from his small forced slumber, saw the president, and screamed.

“Finally! I’m rescued! I have been trying to do research in my lab when this blue punk tried to vandalize my work! Look at all this terror and destruction he’s done to the ice caps… oh the humanity!

Imagine what horrible changes the climate will go through due to this.”

“I don’t believe in Global Warming. The snow will refreeze as time goes I imagine. Fires die out within time.” The president winked at the hedgehog. “ Global warming? I say global winning!”

While the president stood next to the Sonic, Eggman was being handcuffed by his agents.

“It’s cold here, big guy!” Papi Trump exclaims, “How ‘bout you take a seat in my luxury helicopter, it’s pretty yuuuge”.

Sonic would have protested and questioned the faux-tanned man, but he felt as if he needed to go with him. Most of the time when the president got in touch with him, it was due to a dire crisis that only the hedgehog and his comrades could fix.

However, Donald Trump was a fairly new president. What would he see as trouble to his Americans, or to mankind?

The hedgehog steps into the dually propelled machine that is the size of a large house with wide wings. The guards follow the president in with the doctor. ¨Have a seat, big guy” Trump insists. Sonic seats himself on a couch softer than Eggman’s mustache, partially sinking into the cushion, and faces the president who seats himself facing Sonic back.

¨We have a yuuuge problem concerning-”

“The fate of America? The fate of humanity? ” Sonic interrupts in anticipation of a big mission.

Oh, the adventures the American presidents had for him! He could only imagine what new challenge could face him-

“Far worse, I want you to save yesterday’s world if you’re catching my drift,” the orange master replied.

What could he mean by that? Was there something new that needed to be hidden, like an embarrassing media story? Sonic wasn’t someone to sit and fix things like that-it took to long and he would rather do something more practical.

“I’m sorry, what ARE you saying?” Sonic questioned.

“Is this familiar to you at all?” The thick man bends to his side and takes out a grayish green cap with a metallic eagle pin perched on mid center. Below the eagle lay a skull with cross bones with the dulled black letters “SS” on the side inscribed as sharply as lightning bolts. Immediately Sonic recognized the hat.

It looked so familiar to the dusty hat Tails and him found on the beach shore a few years prior. It had been placed in a tool-box in the workshop of the Torpedo-2.

“Seems to be some sort of old electricians hat...” Sonic observes.

“That's not it, you dunce!” Eggman interjects. “It's the official uniform helmet of the schutzstaffel of the the ol’ third Reich, you idiot!”

“I don't know what the hell he's talking about.” Replies el presidente, watching the doors shut behind the doctor, and then looking back to the headwear. “This is a hat that the Nazis wore, ya know, Hitler?”.

“Oh, okay.” Sonic responded with confusion.

He didn't know who or what this Hitler guy was but he sounded important, he could always Google him later.

“So what about him? Isn't he dead or something?” Sonic said as a wild guess. “Yes he is but he's also not. . .” Trump replies sadly. “Ya see. People keep comparing me to the Nazis, and I don't like it, I don't like it” He nods as his turkey neck swings from side to side. He squinted his eyes in thought. “Don't like it. Uhh-uh.”

Sonic rocked his legs back and forth on the seat. “That kinda sucks, but to be honest, egghead and I have some important matters to deal with,” he says with a frown thinking of his anger towards the mad doctor. “I’m kind of occupied saving the present. Ya know? It’s kinda my thing?”

“Whatever you can dish out, I am up for it” Sonic reprises with confidence as he pointed to himself.

“You gotta go back in time to take him down. Take him away from the world before he even makes his rise and before people have something to compare me to- uh I mean before he does something the world will mourn to see” Trump states. “How do you expect me to go back in time?” Sonic questions. “You're gonna run back in time” Trump confidently asserts to Sonic.

“Well, I am fast, but sorry to break it to you, Mr President, but I am not that fast. Ya see, I need a little something to go as fast as we'd like.” Sonic turns his head down a little bit after humbling himself.

“Oh, don’t worry, I have that little something” the orange man reassured. To his left there was a man in black standing vigilantly, his sunglasses giving any onlooker no signs of weakness or emotions to it. Trump looked to him, he looked back plainly as Trump nods his head with a smile; the same smile made when a child is ready to show his friend the coolest thing they have ever seen, bright and impatient.

The man in black taps on the wall that has a pad full of numbers, digit after digit the light to the side goes from green to red. Rrrrrr. The wall safe unlocked, the agent getting his gloves ready. Then, with a careful yet swift motion, the man held to a shining amber emerald. Sonic’s eyes went wide as the guard walked over to Trump, who was also prepping gloves.

“Someone was fishing in the Great Lakes and found this thing. Is that incredible or what?” Trump said, polishing the gem that compared in color to his toupee. “Hey, weren’t you a fan of the guy, Pablo? Show the fast guy the picture we took,” Trump turned to Sonic and then added, “Trust me, you gotta see this guy. Nicest guy I ever met. Great at fishing too.”

The guard, Pablo, showed Sonic a photo on his iPhone. It was a sunny day, and there sat Pablo with thinner clothing, Trump, and Big the Cat. Big the Cat.

Sonic had to retrace his eye movements. B i g the C a t. He managed to find the Chaos Emerald by sheer coincidence? “Oh, you like Big?” Sonic said, a little butthurt. He likes Big the Cat? What?

Pablo nodded. “Best fisher I’ve ever met.” The guard went to check on Eggman, while Sonic looked in disbelief. “So, um, back to the topic, what do you want me to do? Use Chaos Control to go fast?” Trump nodded but still sat in a thinking position. “Well, yes and no. I want you to go fast, but you have to arrive back in time during World War One. Hitler was a very bad man. Killed a lot of people during World War Two.”

“Oh, I get it. You want me to talk some sense into the guy!” Sonic suggested.

“No, I want you to kill him. It’s war. It’s not inhumane when you could possibly be saving the lives of millyuns.”

Sonic sat up on the chair and focused hard. He has never killed anything before. The only thing he has “ended” were the badniks. He couldn’t remember any time in history he planned on killing someone for the solution of the world’s problems.

“I’m sorry Mr. President, but I can’t kill someone. That’s no good! I haven’t killed anything yet, and don’t aim on killing anyone now!”

Trump thought again, then smiled. “No, you have killed something to save the world. Remember the Finalhazard, or the Black Arms?”

Sonic winced at the memory. “Yes. I do. But I wasn’t alone on those tasks.” it was Shadow, his friendly nemesis that put most of the work in killing them. The edge hog could do pretty much any dirty work if it came to saving the world. Why not have him do the job? He could perform Chaos Control better than anyone, too.

“Plus, I’d have to have another chaos emerald to perform chaos control to the point of traveling nearly a century back,” Sonic addressed, still thinking about the reality of killing someone. No president had asked him to do as such before.

“What do you want with me? I have no business with you” Dr Eggman erupts, “I haven't killed anyone, I haven't stolen, I haven't even yelled at a little girl in two weeks”.

“Two weeks geez that's longer than me” one of the agents mutters to the other.

“Not the point. The president wants you here and we are going to wait until we see what he wants with you. Right now he's having word with your friend”.

“Well I wouldn't say friend” Eggman corrects, “more like mor-”

The intercom on the wall glows red, being the only color in the gray interrogation room, “Bring me the red guy, will ya?” Utters the magical voice of the Senior himself.

“Let's go” blankly says an agent. Both of which held Eggman by the back in his hand cuffs and opened the door to the more pleasant looking room of the the helicopter.

Before making a word come out if his mouth, Sonic exhales sharply, “Eggman, look: I need the chaos emerald you've got”

“Sorry to disappoint you, pest” Eggman replies angrily,

“Besides, what could possibly motivate you to go into chaos control? And a better question, what could possibly motivate me, Doctor Ivo Robotnik, to hold an emerald so closely, so securely, that you haven't found it yet? Surely you have the wrong mad, cunning, handsome, and evil scientist. Oh and another thing, what are you going to do about your friends at the verge of drinking radioactive water?” Eggman freely spoke.

“Look Egghead, we can sort that out later, just give me the emerald, I know you're hiding it so might as well make it easy for us” Sonic attempts to persuade with arms crossed.

“How about this, you pest, what if I told you. . .” Eggman pauses as Sonic impatiently yet asks in a drawn out manner, “yes?”

“That there are no emeralds on me and that you are wasting all of our time” The doctor rebuttals with great conviction in his answer. Sonic expels a great groan of frustration as the mustachioed menace did not give him the answer he needed, he would rather have heard that Eggman has hidden it so that Sonic could at least have the slightest clue, but sometimes answers don't come as quick as Sonic.

“Alright I think we're done here” the Grand Papi himself reenters the conversation as the doctor was dragged back to the gray room that he sat in prior to the failed conversation. Despite the fact Trump sat with his head down in thoughts and frustrations concerning his failed dreams Sonic felt an enormous breath of relief within him, the burden of killing has been lifted off of him before he even does the deed.

“I know you only talk like this about TV remotes but where was it last seen?” The president questions the hero in a subtle form of desperation, it was clear to Sonic that nothing in the world will move until Sonic reshapes it,

“It won't matter, Mr President; the emeralds go all over the world after the seven emeralds are all united for a purpose and last time that properly happened was when the Doc wanted to pursue the legacy in the Gaia Manuscripts. So now they have all scattered and we have found all of them except for that last emerald, it could be anywhere, all those other ones we bumped into outta sheer luck.”

“What about Tails, he's smart, let's see if he can help us” Trump states while pretty much ignoring Sonic’s words as he pulls out his watch and taps away at his wrist shortly followed by a bright blue hologram of Tails rising up from Trump's wrist looking Trump in the eye, then turning his head to sonic, “Whoa! What's this about?” then turning back to the the orange, succulently thicc turkey, “What can I do you for you, Mr President?”

“Tails, my bro, I'm phoning you and Sonic over here to help me settle a score on behalf of the whole wide world”

“That sounds kind of. . . “ Tails tries to come up with a good, softer synonym for sinister, “Extreme, what do you mean, revenge? Because I'm here to help people, not hurt them”

“Just hear me out, tails, buddy” Trump says to hold Tails’ attention long enough to inform him about his ingenious political stunt.

#sonic the hedgehog #donald trump #trump #fanfic #fantasy #comedy

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megamanx1994 · 6 years ago

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Mega man Forever Chapter 1

(One month after the Slipknot Invasion, Nicholas Shay continues his duties as Power Man/Mega Man 2.0 defending the Earth. After recieving an invitation to a celebration for Gouken's dojo, his master Ryu sees this as an opportunity to train Nicholas to use the chi inside of him. Meanwhile, Shadaloo and SIN are working together on a plot for world domination. With the help of some new comrades, Nicholas must become one with the chi inside. This begins phase 2 of the Fan Fiction Extended Universe)

Chapter 1: An invintation to Japan (Disclaimer! I own nothing of Nintendo or Street Fighter!) A few years earlier…… Gouken and his brother were training a young Ryu. Gouken was teaching him the true ways of Martial Arts. However, his brother had something else in mind to teach Ryu. He wanted to teach Ryu much more advanced techniques. “That’s it Ryu,” said Gouken’s brother, “Let the rage grow within you.” Ryu felt some kind of power within him. After a long intense battle Gouken’s brother was defeated. “Yes….” He said, “Now finish me!” “Ryu stop!” said Gouken. He arrived just in time to stop Ryu from making a big mistake. Ryu regained his sanity and witnessed what he almost did. “Master…. I disappointed you,” he said. “No Ryu, it isn’t you that disappointed me,” said Gouken, “It is Akuma that has disappointed you.” He warned Akuma that the way of fighting that he was told about is a very dangerous power and Akuma just grinned as they walked away. “We’ll just have to test that,” he said. Japan 1997 A man was running from agents of an organization known as Shadaloo. A young girl was chasing after him. “Papa!” she said, “Papa please don’t go!” The agents saw her, but her father caught up to her and hid her somewhere safe. “Papa, what’s happening?” asked the young girl. “Chun-Li, something’s come up at work,” said her father, “Some people would say that I’m a monster, but… I stole an important artifact.” “Papa…” said Young Chun-Li. “No matter what happens, please stay hidden,” said her father. He kept running. “Papa….” Said Chun Li. Her father kept running from the Shadaloo agents. He thought he was safe from them and could relax. But he was wrong. Someone came up from behind him. “Where’s the orb?” he asked. He turned around. “Bison!” said Chun Li’s father. “Take him away,” said Bison. Chun Li saw him being taken away and tried to stop him, but a teenage girl stopped her. “Afraid I can’t let you interfere,” she said. Her father was being driven away. “Its your lucky day little girl,” said the blonde haired girl, “Well I have business to attend to. Farewell.” Chun-Li saw something of her father’s. It was the only thing she had left of him. “Papa….” Said Chun-Li with tears in her eyes. Brooklyn. Now…. An alarm was going off and something was happening. I put on my Mark V Power Suit and Daisy changed into her costume. I got myself some gear and got ready to kick some tail. “Ready sis?” I asked. “Ready,” said Daisy. She got on her motorcycle and I flew. There was a robbery at a bank. Chun-Li was already escorting people to safety and saw us coming. “Power Man, Stretch Girl,” she said greeting us. “Chun-Li,” I said, “So what’s happening?” “Looks like we got some old friends who want some payback,” said Chun-Li, “We got a boxer and a guy in a mask.” “Barlog,” I said, “The other guy sounds familiar.” “So, we gonna stay here and chat, or are we gona kick some ass,” said Daisy. “Let’s move,” I said. Barlog was taking money from the registers. “Anybody who tries to be a hero gets a taste of my boxing gloves,” he said, “Hurry up! Gimme the money!” A man in a mask and claws was watching him. “Now Barlog, there’s no need to get so hostile if the hostages are being generous,” he said. “Look who’s talking Vega,” said Barlog. “You should be lucky that I restrain my claws from being used on you Barlog,” said Vega. He killed a security guard who had a pistol aimed at him. I was watching everything through a super computer in my mask. “Ok, on the count of 3 we’ll go in and surprise them,” I said. I noticed Daisy was gone. “Daisy where are you?” I asked. She already got inside. She was about to sneak in and take out one of the thugs. “Oh shit,” said Chun-Li. Daisy bumped into a trash can and the thugs had their guns pointed at her. “Hi,” she said, “I’m Daisy.” “Did she just say ‘Hi I’m Daisy’?” I asked. Chun-Li nodded “What are you doing here?” asked Vega, “Playing Super Hero?” “Well, sort of,” said Daisy, “But this is the real deal. So drop the money and surrender immediately, or….. else.” “Well Daisy as it?” asked Barlog, “Allow me to introduce myself. I’m Barlog!” He was about to punch her but I dropped in just in time. “Hey Barlog,” I said, “I’m Power Man.” “Waste this fool!” said Barlog. They started to attack me, however I managed to evade them. “Ok guys we need to talk this out,” I said. I fired my plasma busters at them. “Good talk,” I said. “No it wasn’t,” said one of the thugs. Chun-Li used one of her techniques to take out more thugs. I saw that someone was in danger. “One second bad guys,” I said. I swooped him and saved him and got him out of the building. “Are you ok?” I asked. He got a look at me. “Y…Y’uore Power Man,” he said. “Suit gives it away doesn’t it?” I asked as I gave him some documents he dropped, “These look important Jimmy.” “Jimmy…. How do you know my name?” he asked. “Your badge,” I said, “Look, next time I see you, I need you to be my eyes and ears. Think you can do that partner?” “Really?” asked Jimmy, “I mean.. yes! I won’t let you down.” “Thanks,” I said, “I’ll see you out there!” I went back in to face Barlog. “Well, I think its time you were introduced to a new technique,” said Barlog. He did a barrage of punches like tornadoes at me and I evaded them. “Nice move,” I said as I grinned. “You think so?” asked Barlog, “I don’t mean to brag but….” “Mind if I try it?” I asked. I secretly analyzed the attack so I could do it. I did the move and landed every blow. “Wow,” I said. “That does it!” said Barlog, “Nobody copies Barlog and gets away with it.” He was about to attack when someone else did a move. “Sonic Boom!” he said. It was a soldier with a blonde flat top. “Who’s that guy?” I asked. “Its Guile,” said Chun-Li, “We’ll deal with Barlog! Vega’s getting away!” Daisy and I chased after him. But he wasn’t alone. An old foe stopped me in his tracks. It was Concrete. “Its been a while Power Man,” he said. “IT sure has,” I said, “Here for a rematch I presume?” I got in a fighting stance. “I would, but I have business to attend to with my boss,” said Concrete. “Oh you’re not getting away from us!” said Daisy. “Daisy wait!” I said. Concrete was about to attack her but she stretched over and avoided the attack. “Not bad little girl,” he said. I had my plasma busters ready to fire. “Now, now Concrete,” said Vega, “We have no time to mess with these fools.” A helicopter came down. “What are you really after?” I asked. “Oh you’ll see, in time,” said Vega. He passed a rose. “Courtesy from Shadaloo,” said Vega. They both got on. “We’ll get him,” said Daisy, “Daisy knows it.” Barlog was still fighting Guile and Chun-Li. “You won’t take me alive punks!” he said. He did the attack on Guile and was about to finish him. “Sonic Boom!” I said. I did the attack on Barlog giving Guile time to finish him. “Take that!” he said. I jumped down. “I thought you were staying upstairs to handle Vega,” said Guile. “How about, ‘nice to see you, glad you’re here to save my life’?” I asked. “I had this under control,” said Guile. “Well there’s nothing wrong with a little help,” I said, “Whoever this Shadaloo is, we can take him down together.” “Bison’s ass is mine,” said Guile, “I don’t need some robot kid and stretch girl to help.” He walked away. “Come on boys, let’s go!” His comrades followed him. “Who spit in his pizza pie?” I asked. “I heard that!” said Guile. “On the bright side you did learn 2 new techniques,” said Daisy. “Good point,” I said as I grinned. “And also, you should learn to be more trusting of others y’know?” said Daisy, “Daisy know you care about her, but you gotta understand that Daisy can handle her own in some situations. Daisy saved your ass didn’t I?” “It was the other way around,” I said, “…You’re right though.”

#FFEU Phase 2 #fan fiction extended universe #street fighter #akuma #m bison #sakura kasugano #smash bros #princess daisy #ryu street fighter #ken masters #blanka #hi i'm daisy

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cutegirlmayra · 4 years ago

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Commission Receipt: Soler’s Story Ch. 2

@solerwolf21 once again returned to have a part 1′er of the next chapter, it was very fun to work on and I’m glad I got the opportunity to have his Sonic OC Soler shine again!

Time: After a brief discussion about what story elements he wanted and what plot points were to be addressed in this chapter, I began work and development on the story. It took only a day to write out a basic plot which he requested to see and approved. Then it took a few months for the completion and editing.

Review: @solerwolf21 - First, yes I have read it and not gonna lie there were at least two to three times I was scared for (how) things were going (to) go lol. I was too scared for Soler and Sally’s relationship and Shay was terrifying and his mom was wonderous and pops is cold. I also enjoyed the hints of depth behind certain actions or things said like Sally stopping Soler from making a promise, or Shadow’s lack of insight on familial ties, really good touches. Overall great work! Also I love love love the characterization! The contrast of thought of how Soler handles situations compared to Sally, Shadow, and his retrospective on Soler. Heck their whole relationship as a whole and its evolution. I just loved Shadow in this so so much.

Paid amount: After deciding on a price, I was surprised to find that he actually paid for more in the end! I was really touched, and at first, worried he may have overspent and contacted him to alert him of the situation. He told me he put in more and so I gave him more, it was around 50$, and I’m very grateful that he enjoyed the story! It was fun to write for him again!

With permission from the customer, here is the rough draft of the finished product for your viewing pleasures:

Soler's Sequel: Chaos Panic.

Ch. 2

A story for Solerwolf21!

By: Cutegirlmayra

New Mobotroplis was centered with a bright, yellowish castle for the Acorn's to rule in peace, but nowadays, it is a military fortress for the headquarters of the Freedom Fighters.

It's princess, Sally Acorn, continued to lead the Freedom Fighters time and again against the Eggman Empire, who threatened to destroy all organic things into robotic slaves for his mad ambitions of power and control.

However, Eggman's forces began to grow and increase in unspeakable ways... a new ally had aligned themselves to Eggman, choosing to be on the power-hungry side that seemed to be winning, instead of freedom-bound heroes. These heroes wouldn't cease in doing good, fighting for those who couldn't, and protecting all Mobians from certain peril and robotization.

Sally carefully counted inside the freedom force's food storage warehouse facility, tapping her pen in the air as she went through each box and marked to check off each category on her clipboard. "There!" she giddily swiped the last check mark onto it's corresponding box. "After this hostage rescue, we should have enough supplies to keep them well fed for a few months or so. At least until our next harvest and supply run." She nodded to herself until she heard an alarm go off. "Huh?"

Turning to see Rotor waving for her outside, she felt her anxiety spike and quickly ran back out as the large, almost barn-like doors began to automatically close behind her.

"What's going on?" She inquired, her voice sounding serious and her eyes showing the leadership fixed in them like a fire lit on the spot.

"Nothing." Rotor calmed her, letting her know it wasn't that serious. Still, it put Sally on edge, and she had to calm herself into a gentler state of mind again.

"Go on." After a short breath, she straightened out and loosened up a bit. Though, the tension in her muscles seemed to be unending... such was the life of a benevolent ruler in times of war.

"Soler set off another security alarm again," Rotor chuckled, noticing her demeanor had returned to being somewhat normal, for now. "He's training with his power again... he used to go so far out of our radar that he'd be gone for a few days or so, training remotely. Now? He doesn't mind just blasting his power all over the place without a single thought!" Rotor lifted up his arms and shook them about, but the action only made Sally smile.

It was true that Soler had a hard time training within New Mobotroplis. He was constantly in panic that he'd do something wrong, or hurt someone... It took a lot of time for him to trust himself, but Sally was glad to hold his hand through it all.

She was happy he was comfortable around everyone now, but still worried about their alarms...

"He's just so used to controlling them now, he's not as afraid to use them as he was before." Sally was still mostly glad, he was showing some confidence, and that meant that everyone's efforts for him to feel included within the Freedom Fighters had not failed in fail. He was slowly coming out more, being more lively and talkative. He was still somewhat lazy, but at least he was lazy with others now... Though, she was upset that he was triggering off their alarms so frequently. Poor Nicole...

"I'll go talk to him."

"You know, he hangs around a lot more because of you." Rotor gave her a sly look and put his hands on his hips, "I'll get back to my equipment inspections but,... Something tells me there's more going on between you two then just causal dating..."

Her face turned a little brighter, but she batted his prying away, "Dating is dating, don't make unnecessary assumptions!" she didn't like her values being questioned, but it was true that Soler had been hanging around a lot closer to base lately...

She had just never supposed it could have been because... because of how close they had gotten to one another.

"I wasn't saying that, but it's interesting that that's what you thought. I wouldn't dream of it!" Rotor shook his hands out with a goofy grin on his face, teasing her. "I just meant... maybe you two are more committed than you think?"

"Alright, enough teasing." Sally pushed her finger against his nose to move his face out from trying to read her own. "I'll go check on him. Which way?"

"The little chaos engine is southward." he pointed behind him. "Turn just a little west, and good luck!" He laughed, clutching his belly and swinging his leg up a moment to really give his teasing a good kick into Sally's pride. "He's letting all the new recruit's legends and stories about him get to his head!"

"L-legends?" A bead of sweat trailed down from her forehead, but she wiped it off, trying not to worry. "I'll see what the fuss is all about."

"Just his popularity, that's all." Rotor waved her off, moving on and placing a leisurely hand by his tool belt. "Try and stay calm, Sal. It's better for your health!"

"Not in these times..."

As she made her way towards where Soler usually trained nowadays, she stopped in a jolt. "Oh, wait!"

She remembered something and quickly turned to Rotor, seeing he had already moved quite a bit aways from her. "Really, quick!" she ran back and placed a hand on her friend's shoulder, grabbing his attention again as he turned to look at her curiously. "For the night operation... the village is covered in dense fog, correct?"

"Very much so." Rotor confirmed. "Make sure your operation is covert. We can't have anyone disappearing on us. If the village is being rounded up for roboticization, then we don't have a huge window for error. We can't lose anyone again, Sally..." He looked distraught, and Sally comforted him with a few pats on his back. "Shard and Sonic are off on reconnaissance. Espio, Rouge, and Shadow are spying on different Eggman fleets. Bunny is still with Anton... I'm afraid all we have is a handful of us left." She shrugged, showing that they were worn pretty thin at the moment when it came to available, capable hands. "Soler and Nicole are all we got so far. Maybe Tails will be willing to come. His twin tails could push some of the fog away?" she seemed to be stretching it, squinting her eyes and shrinking down a bit, as though embarrassed to have to question her own tactics.

"Eh, it's a team. I'll see what I can do on my end, too." Rotor nodded, patting her shoulder, "Hey, Sal. You're doing good." He encouraged her, giving her some much needed confidence in her abilities too. "Go and get'em back safe."

"Will do." Sally nodded, taking his advice in. She felt a sense of pride then, telling her that she could do this, but hoping to not have a cost. One life meant so much to Sally, saving so many would be wonderful, but... losing even one Freedom Fighter... Sally didn't want to think about it anymore, or have to live through the consequences of one wrong move. She placed her hand to her chest and took three breaths, telling herself it was in the past and she could do this. "I'll talk to Soler, see if he has any ideas..." She began to head off again, pushing back the sorrow she had learned some hard lessons from.

Soler was powering up as much chaos energy as he could, having it jet through his power and manifest as white aura all around him. He let it course through his veins and rise in large quantities throughout his whole body, spiking his power range up and trying for a Chaos Break, hoping to hold it for a longer period of time than he was used too.

If he could somewhat master retaining chaos energy in his body, instead of always having to expel it because of the limits on his physical form... he could do a lot of good for a set of minutes.

And more good, meant more people saved.

A few recruits were watching, interested in what he was doing as he tried to concentrate. He moved his hands, almost as though practicing martial arts, but kept his eyes closed. The aura moved like misty clouds around his hands and body, seeming to spin like steam as he rotated it around him. A small dust devil formed at his center as he took deep, calming, focused breaths to try and lessen the pain of holding onto to chaos energy and trying to store it in and not let it out all at once either. Making chaos energy out of nothing would have a severe toll on his body, but with little measurements of success like this, he could maybe one day hold a massive amount, and finally give Eggman's army what's coming to them.

One of the on-lookers was a young girl, she swung her legs as she sat on some wooden crates, watching the strange sight in excitement and curiosity. "Is that him? The guy who rose in rank in just one month?"

"Yeah! They say that Shadow trained him!" Another dude piped up, moving up on the crates to answer her and share in the amazement. He gripped the edge of her crate and wagged his tail, seeming to be a fan of the stories about Soler's missions and adventures.

"Shadow?" Someone else turned to the boy, a young boy having a ponytail for his long, extensive hair. It seemed they were all fairly new recruits, still in intensive training. "But I thought he's scary!"

"He's just anti-social. That must speak volumes for this guy! If he had to have Shadow train him, he must be powerful!" A girl threw her arms up, as though showing her support for Soler as she watched to see what he'd do next for his training. She wore pigtails that spun as she admired the powerful energy surge around Soler's dust-devil effect.

"Wow..." the original recruit that spoke up stopped dangling her legs and watched him more closely, amazed by what she was hearing. "So what will he do now?"

Soler took a controlled section of chaos and forwarded it to his hand,... gliding his hand down, he felt the physical pressure of the moment, and grunted slightly as he felt more and more exhausted from just trying to force the chaos energy to one part of his body. He took a deep breath, and began hitting the air with rapid fast reflexes, jumping into a back-flip and spinning into a kick. The misty clouds shot forward, as though wind being propelled. He was training his memory, making sure his body knew what to do, and all the while channeling chaos energy throughout his movements. It was much more fluid and easier to move than before, and chaos energy wasn't so frightening to him, mostly because he knew he wouldn't hurt any curious gawkers like the kids on the crates. He could feel their energy, but it wasn't anything like chaos.

After a few more acrobatic fleets of strength, precision, and mastery over his chaos energy in Chaos Break, the effects wore off and he fell to a knee, panting strongly from it's toll on his body.

Sweat dripped from his forehead, his muscles ached and waned to keep him up on one knee. He even felt his body tremor a few times, unused to having to hold that much chaos before.

Still, training was training, he'd have to build the stamina for it, one day at a time...

"You keep that up, and you won't have any chaos energy stored up for the mission tonight." Sally stepped up and placed her hands on her hips, proud to see him showing off for the younger recruits.

He smiled, eyes still closed and hunched over, gripping his knee before pulling himself back up like he had a pair of wings, beating fiercely to look impressive. Though it was all in his head, he felt like a hero rising from the ground, and acted as much. "I'll be ready." he turned to look over his shoulder at her, another smoldering look of affection that let her know—without words—what she meant to him. "You doing alright?"

She couldn't help it, moving quickly over to him, she gave him a warm, tight hug as he returned the gesture with as much gratitude as she had. "Look at you, you've grown so much since then..." she remembered with a slight hint of teasing, tightening the hug a moment in gratitude. "You haven't had a bad dream in a while, or a walking one... for that matter." her arms wrapped around his neck before slowly loosening to let him go.

But as if not wanting her to release him, he held her at the same intensity, before pulling his head back and staring into her deep blue eyes...

"I recall a sweet moment where you used to say you'd never let me slip out of your embrace... what happened to those days?" He was amusing himself with these games, and she pushed him away from her, unable to hide her blushing grin.

"Maybe someone should move forward at a pace I can keep up with." She was acting a little shy, but he found that adorable. She folded her arms, then fiddled a moment with her muddy, scarlet hair. "Your powers... they're easier for you now?"

"Much easier to handle." Soler confirmed, dusting off his chest a moment from all the dirt he had kicked up onto himself during his workout. "Though I'm trying to figure out how to grow them stronger." he gripped his fists together, looking each over with every turn of his head, examining them. "I feel I've got the hang of it,... but I also feel there's so much more there that I haven't quite tapped into... I'm not sure how to go into the next level, as Sonic calls it, you know?"

She turned around and pointed straight at him, "Ha! You're nervous!" she laughed, "You know?" She teased, and walked back over to take his balled up hands and delicately place her own over them. "Listen, Soler... Things take time. Even using your power more strains you, right? I know you probably feel nervous about what's buried deeper inside you... but we'll worry about that together." she saw him move his hands and rub his wrists, not hiding the fact that it was a lot on him, but he was just glad he had gotten the hang of it this far.

"Thanks, Sally... but strength is strength. I'm making progress!" he flexed his arms up, "Aren't ya proud of me?" He joked. "I bet Shadow won't even recognize me when he gets back!" Striking a Hercules pose, it was clear he was only trying to impress her and the watching recruits. They all gave him an awestruck reaction, and Sally just rolled her eyes to it.

She giggled, "Immensely," and wrapped her arm around his own, "But let's not praise that 'can-do' spirit too much... might go to your stubborn head." she laughed at her own joke, but that wrinkle in her nose always made him fall deeper in love with her. She wanted to get him away from influencing the younger recruits too much... wouldn't want them setting off alarms, either...

"I love the way you laugh..." he sighed, catching her off-guard as she let his arm go and scooted back slightly. Her original plan seemed to falter as now, he was the one holding the reins.

"You're just saying that." she smiled to the ground, but he came a little closer, not wanting the distance between them to break so much.

"No, I mean it. I may be headstrong, but I'm also headfirst in love with you, Sally." His words were tender, but they were overwhelming her as she touched her redden cheeks.

"I-... I-I told you Sonic wasn't much for showing his emotions, and Monkey Khan, well... I-I'm just not used to your forwardness, sometimes." she fidgeted with her feet and then stroked her hair down over one eye, "B-b-but that doesn't mean I don't appreciate it." she humbly looked back up into his eyes...

"Well, it's hard for me not to compliment... something that strikes me as beautiful." He took on the heroic persona once more, leaning back and mimicking Sonic as he put his hand to his hip, trying to look down into her gaze to hopefully have her swoon again.

Then a recruit whistled.

Soler pulled Sally to him, instinctively, seeing their encouragements. He knew Sally would get more embarrassed though, so he held up a hand to the recruit, "Chaooosss-!" he threatened a blast.

The recruits all ran in terror but Sally just covered her face. It was a humorous scene, as they all toppled over one another and flipped over the crates to escape.

Soler put down his hand and turned back to Sally, "Sorry, I'll try and save those moments and comments for when we're alone." He lightly kissed her forehead.

"I highly doubt that." She peeked up through her fingers at him, and all at once, his heart melted again.

"Aww... you're right, you're just too cute not to say anything... I can't wait till we're alone, it's too long a time!" he hoisted her up into the air and held her swinging with his arms, around and around she went in glee.

"Ahh-! Soler-! Wooah, haha!" she clung to him, a kind gesture that put her at ease. With the audience gone, she relaxed a little bit more too. Slowly, he slipped her back down into his embrace, "I can't seem to get enough of you. There's too much to take in." She looked just as lovesick as he was, and his muzzle showed his joy at accomplishing his mission.

"There it is." He chuckled lightly, "I'll not not to say how... how that smile makes me feel... all the time." He nuzzled her nose very lightly.

"Heh," She tried to remain still, but he knew he shouldn't push his luck just yet. She needed time to adjust to... well, to how out of control he was when it came to how madly in love he was with her.

He ducked his head down, "Y-you're right. I should take it easy..." He gently, though retreating his arms to do so, let her go unwillingly. "I'm just... really happy we're together more, Sally." He scratched behind his head, mentally scolding himself and saying he should cool the engines a bit.

Sally also ducked her head, then took some courage, and lightly placed her nose to his again. "Me too..." She liked the compliments and affection, but just wasn't used to it. To not set him off, she dashed away, hoping that the subtle return of affection would be enough to show her reciprocated love. Still, she was too shy to do anything more, "I'll-! I'll see you as we head out! Please remember to be stealthy!" she called back behind her. "The mission is launching out tonight!"

"Will do." he lightly touched his nose with two fingers, then grinned from ear to ear, feeling the slight hurt on his cheeks from how happy he was. "Smiling never hurt this much... not like before." He looked out towards the sun. "...I hope this never changes..." and with that sad reminder of the doubts that filled his fate, he continued onward, preparing for the stakes that tonight would bring.

Taking on a serious demeanor, he decided to meditate, giving his body a chance to renew his chaos energy supply.

Later that night...

Eggman robots were stationed right outside the perimeter of the village's main townhouse. Their lights remained dormant of life, but vibrant in the quiet of the night. They held their forms like soldiers, grasping their metallic, flat fingers on their other arm's machine gun. Sinister sentinels, protecting nothing but serving all evils...

Shadows moved swiftly around the stagnant metal husks as the Freedom Fighters made their way to the roof of the where they guarded. Moving like silent ninjas in the night, they got to a secure wall and using ropes and jumping from a partner's hands laid together and palm facing up, they were able to make it well onto the top without being detected. However, before they did so, a figure flew up and dropped a small device that sparked as it fell to the roof. The sparks fizzled out any detection system, and finally... the shadows landed one at a time upon the roof.

A few cameras also were sparked... but they remained unaffected, slowly turning to hide their glares but watch the crew closely...

The shadows all landed one after another, before one removed his black scarf around his mouth, revealing white tuff protruding by his cheeks.

Tails's beaming face looked pretty pumped his device had worked, "Looks like there were trip wires and security detection measures on." He whispered to Sally, who also removed her black scarf from around her mouth.

"Good work, Tails. I'm glad we have you this time around." She lovingly ruffled his hair, still unable to help the feeling like he was a cute kid. "Okay, let's go with Plan B now."

But as Sally turned around to instruct the rest of the crew, Soler was out of sight. Panicky, she looked around and then peeked down the roof, seeing him moving behind one of the Eggman robots.

She let out a quiet groan of disapproval, this wasn't the first time this had happened. But still, he knew the costs, why would he act so recklessly!? In the past, he would follow orders simply because he was worried his power could act up if he didn't watch himself. But now... he was more cocky than ever! Even Sonic would sneer with pride. She turned to the others, knowing she needed to be a leader, and not risking the rest of them. She gestured the plan, using code signs to let them know what was going on, and started quietly taking the roof apart to make a small opening... hoping with all her heart that Soler wasn't going to be rash and do something to jeopardize the whole of the mission.

'He wouldn't risk innocent lives like that.' she told herself, 'I have to start trusting his instincts. I have to.' she repeated to herself as she carried on and dared not to look back. 'Be careful, Soler... Please.' her silent prayer was mingled with her frustrated clamp of her teeth, gritting through the stress of trying to keep the tools from making noises as they performed their incision on the roof.

Soler sneaked up behind one of the guarding robots, his red shoes with black X's lightly whipped up the loose dust upon the ground with each careful footstep. Using his expert knock-out techniques he had learned form Shadow, he dug the side of his hand into their little slit around the round, bulbous head's gap that made their neck. He was careful to observe some broken Eggman robots on his last missions, and studying their mechanize, it seemed that some essential wires were just under the head. Protected by both the chrome dome of their head and the heavy plating around their body. 'Too bad Eggman never gave them any bulky shoulders, this will be easy to penetrate!' Soler had already won in his mink, smirking in the dark. Summoning the chaos energy to his hand, he caught a quickly formed, sharp Chaos Spear and struck it precisely into the gap he had found in his studying. Rotor and Tails were helpful in teaching him about robotics, but it was all worth it when he could single-handedly take one out. It short-circuited and collapsed on itself, looking like an egg that fell in on it's pegged stand. Wires flickered a moment like a sparkler, but with no power left, the eyes blipped and then were out like a car's blinker.

Feeling pretty good about his technique, he continued to do the same with the others, but none were reacting to him. He'd jump, stab, and roll back into the shadows, and like dominoes, they all soon collapsed on themselves. It was like something straight out of Alice in Wonderland, but instead of folding cards, its crushed Eggbots. "Huh?" he noticed they were all strangely still... no alarms, nothing.

It was too quiet...

The night had no sound, so with all the robots downed, he walked just a little bit out of the shadows, holding his Chaos Spear in hand, having to surround it in chaos energy so it didn't burn his hand.

'A trap?' he quickly looked back up at the roof. 'Could it be..? Why else were they all... Oh no...'

His eyes widened in fear, "Sally..." he uttered, and took off to climb back up the townhouse.

Soler was used to thinking fast, over-complicating things was sadly a knack of his. His mind raced with rescue strategies in case this really was a bait, but people needed him... and he hadn't forgotten his main objective: Protect those who can't.

He raced up the wall, clawing it just enough to not make too much sound but still scale it efficiently. His reflexes helped him leap over some cameras and then kick them out. 'Cameras..? There's only two of them...' he shot the chaos spear still in his hand at the second one, watching it fizzle out and shoot out like a blown firecracker. "Not my friends you don't." he bit on his teeth, glaring, and moved towards the hole in the roof.

He stuck his head down into the gap his team had made, and looked frantically around to make sure they weren't in danger. So far, so good. He saw them rounding up the villagers, before a hand grabbed the tuff of his chest and spooked him out of his cautious observations.

Sally pulled him to her, making him wobble a second like a swung clock part.

"What do you think you're doing?" Sally had his face right up in front of her own, clearly showing him she was in warrior princess mode, and he wasn't doing as he was told...

He weakly smiled, knowing he was going to get pretty harshly scolded, "M-making sure you're all alright?" his voice shook in his delivery.

Conflicted, Sally let him go, swinging him back as his legs wiggled a moment and then he flipped them down to land.

"I'm glad you want to help at all costs, but going AWOL on a covert mission is highly hazardous!" she looked about ready to whack him, but held it back. Her whispering reprimand made it sound like she was hissing at him, and he rubbed his head apologetically, ducking his head down as she kept coming at him. "I'm worried you don't take orders well. We've done countless missions! You always aren't cautious enough!"

Ironic, he was coming back because he was being cautious...

Still, he knew she was right. He just wanted to make sure their exit plan went out without a hitch.

Unknown to them... cameras moved from the rafters to look at where Soler and Sally were talking to one another from... They bent like mechanical arms, hiding themselves, and not stationary like the well-hidden roof ones that Soler had taken out previously... The cameras on the outside, also undetected by the others, carefully watched through the windows. They rotated themselves and zoomed in on Sally and Soler... then turned to the sparking robots and the jammed chaos spears wedged into their openings by their non-existent necks. The spears flashed and the robots further exploded as Soler clutched his fist to release his control over them while Sally scolded him, distracting him from keeping the chaos hidden and silent. The robots loose wires flailed around before all light disappeared from the area.

The cameras turned back to the inside of the house... all but one... who mechanically moved to zoom in on the evidence of Soler's power...

"It'll be alright, it always is, in the end." He winked to her, trying to calm her racing nerves. "I prom-" his words were cut off as Sally clasped her hand over his mouth, pulling herself over to him and getting up on her toes to look him dead in the eye.

"Don't ever say that to me." She stated, fiercely. "Don't ever make a promise you aren't sure you can keep."

His eyes bent, seeing the pain in her eyes at saying those words. The moonlight extenuated the gloss in her eyes... Something painful had happened with a promise left unkempt, and he wouldn't pry further into it tonight.

Everyone worked well and efficiently, those tension was still lingering in Soler at the solitary guardbots all remaining motionless in the far too quiet dark, he decided to let it go since the villagers were eager to get away anyway. Gathering each mobian and placing them in a pulley system, they hoisted them up through the hole and then raced them off into the forest. Once again, Soler reflected on the easy rescue... it didn't sit right with him, and he knew from Sally's expression that she was on-guard about it too.

Why was the night so still..?

However, there was still some celebration to be had. Everyone was rescue without a single scratch or skirmish.

But then again...

The camera's feedback blitzed in a frizzy light upon a screen in an extremely dark room... scratchy static finally visualized the figure of Soler, moving in blocky images upon the frame. Many eyes reflected the light of this secluded viewing... The camera showed Soler summoning a Chaos Spear, grabbing it before it shot out of his hand, and stabbing the Robot from behind.

"It doesn't seem possible, boss." One spoke, much older in years it seemed. "But it's definitely a chaos energy attack." The man had his arms folded, a deep husky voice. He then turned to bow down to the leader. "We hoped to stage this hostage situation to learn more about the FF's tactics of rescue... but I find this a lot more alarming..."

Two figures suddenly approached the light of the screen, and one seemed to smile in wicked fascination of the image. "So, it's not just me out there, is it, Dad?"

"Quiet." The father spoke, glaring at the image. "This is an anomaly. Eggman won't be pleased if we don't perfectly execute this attack. We need to know what they have..."

"Ah, come on! We can go in, guns-a-blazin', and handle whatever their little acorn-hole can throw at us!" the son seemed pumped but the father punched his side.

"When I say quiet... I mean it." He removed his fist, "I thought I had taught you that by now." He moved his cloak to the side, covering his arm that he used to thrust his fist into his son earlier. "Assemble some more intelligence. I want to look over this footage carefully... I don't like... the blue in his quills..." The father glared heavily at the frozen image of Soler, still blurred out on the screen. "...It looks too familiar..." he almost growled in a lowered tone, and then proceeded to storm away.

The son, barely hunched over, straightened up and still held a frightening smile, "Ow... Daddy seems amiss." He turned in a joking manner to a woman who had just entered with a pitcher of water, pouring it in a cup and the leftovers onto a plant. She turned to address the boy calling her, her face hidden in her raggedy brown cloak before spilling the pitcher at the image she glanced at on the screen. Her eyes shook, as if she'd seen a ghost, recognizing the blue in his quills...

The past... had finally returned. But should it be a return?

"Oh? Still so concerned for me after all these years, dear mother?" The son moved over to her, holding some of her quills in his hand. He must have thought her reaction was from the previous punch, since he was still holding his side... "Such useless compassion..." He let it go and walked on.

She held her panting to a minimum, not wanting to raise any alarms as she pulled her ragged cloak around her more. 'Better now than never... I have to do this... for the sake of so many, and for once... myself.' she whispered, her eyes narrowing in resolve but watery with fear. It was her compassion that would never leave her, even after all these years of servitude and self-pity. Her voice came out almost like opening a creaky, dusty wardrobe. It was as though she hadn't spoken in years, "It was compassion... that poured the tea, my son." her voice seemed dry and starved for life. She took the cup she had just poured, drank as much as she could, and began to cover herself as she made her way through another corridor...

He watched her exit, but said nothing. Simply moved on, as though he was simply speaking to a memory.

Watching some guards patrol by, she then took her chance and grabbed a decorated, golden, steel conduct opening and began to tug it out. It creaked loudly at her attempts, and she looked around frantically to make sure no one was watching or coming to investigate.

She was lucky, she had studied there ways for so long, hoping for a moment to escape.

Finally, after years of tugging on it behind her husband's back, it rusted enough to come out.

She had poured water and other corroding materials onto it in hopes of breaking free and now was her chance, so she crawled through the square pipe and shut the steel behind her.

Men turned the corner, as was their routine, but paid no mind to the steel lid. She peeked through its gaped design, and then slowly... backed into the drain...

-Back at New Mobotropolis-

"Nicole," Soler typed in some things, "What would make an Eggman fleet malfunction?" He was still concerned about the stillness of the robots he had encountered...

Nicole materialized and gave a kind bow to him, "If there function was disrupted, but... why do you ask?" she seemed curious, "There are many ways to malfunction a robot."

"No, I mean... without-" He held his tongue, "Nevermind." he shook the feeling off, "We made it all back safe and that's what matters." He loosened up and smiled to Nicole. "Did you scan the villagers?"

"All are healthy and well. A few sick here and there, but nothing more than a common cold." She happily relayed. "It seems the townhouse was a great shelter for them in the end, they were there for a couple of hours..." She informed, and then hovered over by him, her pixels lighting up his fur. "Soler... everyone is waiting for you in the celebration hall... are you not dining this evening?"

"O-oh, I forgot! Y-yeah, I'll be there. Can't miss my own celebratory party, now can I, ya know?" he seemed nervous... but quickly straightened himself up and went out, trying to look more cheery. He was jittery, mostly because he now had a reputation to maintain, but that didn't make his uneasiness any less apparent...

Nicole watched him intently, before shrugging it off as a human strangeness and continuing on her way back into her computer.

"There's the man!" a few fighters hoisted Soler up the second he walked in, letting him be thrown up on their arms as they cheered, "Oh, he's a jolly good fellow!"

He felt awkward at the praise, but did like the confidence boost. "W-what's this all about? Why just me?"

Tails covered his mouth a moment, chuckling. "We saw the Eggman robots you single-handedly took out! It was so impressive, we decided to toast to you!" Tails picked up a drink and handed it to Soler.

Soler tried to lean over and reach for it, but with all the commotion,... someone threw him up again and Tails toppled over, having the drink slip through his gloved fingers and begin to fly through the air. As though making it look easy, Sally miraculously caught it, her hand moving in a precise and skilled fashion to do so. To add to the sensational catch, she swirled the water with her pinkie out, and then walked over to Tails.

"Be more careful with the cups, Tails." She lovingly instructed, helping him up. "What were you doing?"

"Trying to hand it to Soler, but..." He smiled to her and then awkwardly looked back to Soler, who was being hoisted away.

"H-hey!" he tried to protest a bit, seeing Sally and wanting to join her.

Her face fell a little flat as though not in the spirit of things, thinking it ridiculous to give Soler so much credit when it was clearly a 'team' effort. "They're lifting him up into the air for being reckless?"

"That's a bit cruel, Sally." Tails's ears lowered, "He made sure we'd all get through successfully. Nothing was left to stop us!" Tails cheered, "Why don't you praise him too? He's being kinda humble about it all, isn't that worth praising? Just a tiny... bit..?" He withdrew from her after seeing her harsh features on her face, and pulled back from continuing the peer pressure.

"...I don't think it's something that should be praised." she sighed, moving away from the scene. "It's good that nothing bad happened, but with how we set things up, he shouldn't have acted on his own like that. It wasn't necessary and could have jeopardized the mission, the villagers, and us all. What if it didn't work out, Tails? Then what?" She sat down and lowered the glass down gently. "I can't help but feel like this is all going to go to his head more..." He had only just began mastering what he could of his powers, and Sally didn't feel it right to give him such an ego boost when she knew he needed more time to adjust.

Tails sat down by her, worried, before he saw Soler speed his way over to her quickly, panting. "Whoo! What a rush!" he laughed, sitting down beside her. He had gripped the table, feeling the slippery floor and trying to not let his lightheaded feeling get the better of his balance. "I finally convinced them to put me down!" he reached over for the drink in her hand and took it after a moment of skimming her hand. Knowing she wasn't used to him yet, he tried to be gentle and subtle about it, before chugging the water down and laughing that it was milk. "Now that's something." he chuckled to himself, banging the glass down. "Still, I'll take another!"

Sally rolled her eyes, "Half the recruits here are underage, you really think we'd serve anything more than this?" She raised her hand and a man rolled down the glass of milk to her. "Besides, it'd get unruly. I'd rather have my friends with sharp minds than a bunch of half-there, half-not hooligans."

It did sound a bit harsh, and Tails just gave Soler a look like she wasn't in a good mood.

Sally did see the gesture of his hand though, and not watching their subtle, muted conversation... she moved her hands around her own glass and rubbed her fingers lightly, biting her tongue. She was about to scold him, but stopped herself, deciding there would be a better time soon, anyway...

"You haven't slept yet." Sally decided to go with concern, watching as the waiter brought a few more drinks over, and passed one to Tails.

"Nah, been too much fun." Soler calmly responded, taking the drink and giving it a light twist with his fingers in a corkscrew way on the ground, not drinking it yet as he noticed Sally's hesitancy about something. "Something troubling you?" he finally did a sip, and she tried to compose herself.

"You know how I felt about you disobeying orders." She took a small sip as well, mostly to calm herself down. She didn't like the situation, but she wanted to be a good role model to Tails too... she couldn't favor anyone over the other, and she needed to be strict about Soler coming on missions. It was almost like a role reversal, now that Shadow wasn't acting as his mentor much anymore, Sally seemed to inherit disciplining Soler in a new skill he was unfamiliar with. Controlling himself in high risk situations... he had power over his chaos energy, but what about his headstrong behavior? "Jeopardizing the mission shouldn't be praised for the results turning out alright, it should be from the execution of the assignment."

"You sound like my teacher." he smirked, winking to her as he referenced Shadow. Seemed he was catching on to her inner-monologue...

She touched her face, was it that obvious?

She grew shy and embarrassed, losing her leader-like apparence as Tails also chuckled into his hand, looking to Soler. He had flipped the scene in a matter of moments, just being his charming self again.

"All about the process, he says." Speaking of Shadow, he took another sip of the non-alcoholic beverage, having gestured for the drink to the man passing them around.

"...I'm not happy about this, Soler." she finally stated, and then looked to Tails. "Tails..."

He got the message, nodding and bouncing up from his seat. He could tell Sally was holding herself to a standard, and appeased her by flying off, "See you Sally, Soler!" he waved. Sally was someone everyone looked up too, so he respected that she didn't want to appear too kind to Soler... though it was obvious she and him weren't so formal.

She nodded to Tails's sympathetic kindness and turned back to Soler, a serious expression of weariness on her face, "I understand how you must feel. You were a hero today, but a true hero thinks of everyone, even the rescuers' safety."

"Do we have to confront this now?" Soler knew what she was saying, but wasn't in the mood to be reprimanded. "Can't we just enjoy the morning..? Maybe we do need sleep." he pulled her stool closer to his, making her wobble and grip her hands to the table. He put a loving arm around her and then his head to her shoulder, "Suddenly... I'm so sleepy..." he cooed, teasing playfully as he went limp.

"Oh, you." she did find that cute, but tried to get him off. "This isn't the time for that... and besides, we're in public..." Her eyes shifted around nervously. Was she like Sonic? Worried about images all of a sudden..?

"Emm... So comfy..." he continued the act and she finally giggled as he rubbed his nose under her cheek.

She'd have to get used to it. He loved her too much to not tease, and with all the tension she was carrying, he had to do something to put her at ease.

"That's not fair! You know I'm ticklish! This isn't going to get you out of- ah-! Ahahaa!" she laughed when he tickled her stomach and she tried to weakly push him away.

"You advise me all the time, it's about time I advise you to relax." he teased, but then a harsh wind opened the doors of the hall as a woman in muddy rags coughed and stumbled against the side of it, looking around frantically to get her bearings straight.

A few people were rushing after her, but stopped when they saw she had opened many different buildings, seeming to be searching for something...

Everyone remained still a moment, not sure where this had come from.

A rescued person suddenly got up, "Weren't you... the one that was with those abductors?"

The Freedom Fighter's all turned around, surprised to hear this, to say the least.

"Abductors?" Rotor immediately stomped forward, "Okay, lady. Who are you and what are you doing here?" he took out his taser wrench, but watched as she fell to her knees and just didn't have the heart to look intimidating. "Woah! Lady!" he threw the weapon back and used his free hand to reach out to her.

She continued to breathe hard, "I'm... not with them... I was forced to be with them... but I'm not." she explained through heavy, soggy breaths.

"She's lying!" another rescued member stood up, slamming his hands to the table, "I personally saw them from my village!"

"Your village?" Another Freedom Fighter turned to the individual, "You mean... You're not from the village we just saved?"

"N-no..." A village boy seemed timid, but wanted to help out with the misunderstanding. "Not all of us. My Ma and Pa were taken from the city..."

Another rescuer got stepped forward, one of the pursuers, "We chased her from the walls, she used her bare hands to climb it, this is no ordinary woman!"

An elder rose then, ignoring the woman and commotion to speak truth as well. He stomped his walking stick to the ground, making himself known, "I was taken from several miles away from their village. I haven't stepped foot in that village before then! the abductions are happening more and more frequently, but I never thought they'd come to the monastery's shelter!"

"They're taking everyone!"

"They're ruining our lives!"

"She's with those monsters!"

"I-I... had to reach him..." The woman in rags coughed, trying to spit out the dirt from her mouth. "I had to... I must..." her arms trembled as she tried to upright herself. Her old knees wobbled, malnourished and like old sticks, but somehow, they kept her going.

"It's not just here?" Sally's eyes shrank and shook with the horror of what she was hearing. "Why hasn't anyone spoken up about this before? And this woman... she's apart of it? But how is that possible, she's not a robot..." she slowly got up to examine the woman, but stopped a few steps away as someone else spoke up. Soler remained by Sally's side, standing behind her and keeping a hand in her own.

"It's not just where you're Freedom Fighters' are stationed! There are hostages all over the different bases!" another woman, holding a child stated in a cry that could only mean she was desperate to have them understand their plight.

"We..." Sally found herself compromised, unable to hold back the terror in her tears, realizing she hadn't truly saved anyone. "We have to alert the other zones! Contact them through Nicole, she can travel faster. If hostages are being moved around then that has to be a trap!" she quickly took charge, turning off her emotions as quickly as they had come and harshly ripping her hand out of Soler's.

This left him worried about her, the vacancy in his hand making him feel like he was being left behind. 'No... Sally.' he wanted to be by her side, wanted to fight with her. Did she not trust him? Was his actions today too reckless for her to include him now? 'Don't do this alone, let me help you.' he kept trying to keep up with her, but the woman had crawled her way over to Soler and grabbed his now freed hand.

"H-huh?" He looked down, shocked she would take it as she pulled her hoodie back, and stared at him in wonder.

The first thing he noticed... was the blue streaks in her quills... and the gentle fall back they had. Then the pristine, porcelain white that was dirtied and matted with clots of earth... leaves... icky green grass stains...

What had happened to this poor woman?

His heart was immediately softened, but caution and the unknown swarmed quickly into his judgement like a pipe being turned on and filling up his thoughts.

"They must know where we are." Sally started up, pulling Soler's mind away from the desperate woman, but she began to speak just after her, guiding Soler back to her longing, anxious gaze.

"Your defenses are too much for them to take on, without the proper information, they won't know how to storm New Mobotroplis... you're all in grave danger... but safe, for a very small window of time." she had caught herself, brought some form of power into her voice that gave envy to Sally and admiration in Soler. She slowly moved up from her knees, looking Soler over and then deeply into his eyes, as though moved by a painting. Her hands wavered slightly by his face, but dared not touch.

"What did you say..?" Sally spun around, before seeing the strangeness of her behavior towards Soler.

Not wanting to be rude, Soler allowed her to cling to him, remaining still. However, it was extremely awkward... before he noticed the similar colors and style of her quills compared to his own again, and marveled at the oddity of it all. 'Do all hedgehogs have some common genes?' he wondered, knowing Sonic was blue and Shadow had red streaks in his quills, but shook off the thought since Shadow was bio-engineered, and Sonic... was just blue.

His eyes made a squint of confusion, and he suddenly realized this woman was examining the same things as he was in his appearance. '"A-ah..." he moved his other hand up, trying to stop her from looking at his features so much...

It was a very peculiar, having someone judge your appearance this obviously...

"I'm glad you kept this blue..." she smiled as though relieved, looking to the stripes of blue in his quills and gesturing up towards the ceiling, but the movement was unknown to Soler and so he got a little creeped out. "...Ha... I hope there's more of me in you, that it's a sign of good things." Her eyes sparkled with hope and pride as she looked down and gripped her raggedy brown tarp over her more, "Finally... the Mercenaries will at last meet their match... and Conor will realize he's created his own doom... in me." she glared suddenly in great hurt.

She turned to Sally, "They're setting up for intelligence scans, trying to read your strategies. They'll ambush you after their tactical assessment is complete. But with my escape, it may be now or never." she turned back to Soler, "Only you can defeat a Stratus," she cupped her hands gently by his face, "My... Son."

His whole body felt a surge of electrical, chaos-like lightning at her touch, freezing him before he felt a shard of static explode at his chest, making it hard to breathe.

There was a quiet as Sally's face configured into a deeper seeded confusion, but her protectiveness kicked in and she moved over to Soler, pulling him lightly away from the woman. "I'm sorry... but until we get this situation figured out-"

"She has no shame!" A rescued woman called out, pointing accusingly to her from the door. "She's part of them! A spy! Come to infiltrate the only safe place we have now!"

"Hear, hear!" another man stepped forward, this time from within the once giddy hall, shaking his fist.

While the argument commenced intensely throughout the room, Soler felt an abrupt presence wash over him like a mountainous wave, sucking him under as thoughts of the orphanage and the caretakers returned to him... He was abandoned, unwanted, and left on the steps of their humble institution. Before, he had always thought of Luna's village but now... Memories just gushed over his senses, leaving him in a darkened place with his mind. He felt strangely null here, and that was comforting for the time being.

The caretakers always assured him he was meant for big things, wonderful and amazing things that were left to be uncovered when he was older. The younger kids hid behind him from the older, more ruthless children and he would take beatings on their behalf, then get scolded for the fighting by the caretakers. Still... he never once questioned it. While the other children sobbed over the loss of parents, or the missing of family, he never had such emotions... but he was always curious. 'Maybe someday, I'll find them.' he thought to himself, countless times before his powers started to turn dangerous, and he left the orphanage with one goal in mind: To master them.

He explored and helped people when he could as a nomad until Luna's village... a real home. The only thing that consumed his thoughts beforehand,... before Sally saved him from himself.

But with this woman's appearance, nothing but the orphanage's memories came to mind. All those young souls praying for their mothers and fathers to return... while Soler feared the powers he was beginning to manifest.

"Well, this party was a bust." A sarcastic voice rang through the hall as everyone turned to the familiar silhouette of three, spiked quills off to the side... "Come on! Where's the merriment?"

Sonic The Hedgehog had finally returned, and with him, many of the Freedom Fighters. Shard looked cautiously around him, then dashed over to stop people who had started brawling in their wild emotions.

"We come back to celebrate and tell of our spoils, and look! Others are spoiling it for us!" Shard kid, separating the fighting individuals by flying halfway across the room with his jetpack-like engine.

Sally was still unsure of where to even begin to describe to Sonic and Shard what had occurred, and looking at Soler's expression... she definitely knew he was in no state to respond.

"We'll continue this later." She instructed, looking to others behind her. "Get everyone to bed. Nicole will run a scan on the woman. We'll investigate her later, as well. Make sure everyone has what they need today."

"Woah, so serious." Sonic raised an eyebrow, cocking his head to the side. "You getting enough R&R lately, Sal?" He looked to Soler, as if accusing him of something.

"Sonic," Sally scolded, placing a foot forward as he smiled and held up his hands in a fake surrender.

"Right, right. Take care of things." He winked in a friendly manner, but nothing that would be seen as romantic. That ship had long left the harbor and sank, "Knuckles?"

Knuckles nodded, pointing swiftly to Rotor and Tails. To Rotor, he gestured to Shard trying to calm down the brawling, and to Tails, the woman clinging as though in a dream to Soler.

They nodded, then split up into teams as Tails calmly gestured for the woman in rags to come with him.

"N-no, I must speak with you more." She resisted, struggling a bit and moving back towards Sally and Soler. Sally flinched back, but noticed as she tried to move Soler, that he was like frozen stone... His feet planted firmly to the ground.

"This isn't the time." Sally stood in front of him, hoping this wasn't another trigger moment like with Luna... "You stated a warning to us, for that, we'll give you the benefit of the doubt." She looked to Tails, "For now." she nodded to him.

There was something awful about how this made her feel. When, at last, she thought Soler's only troubles were his natural tendency to go solo when he needed to stay with the team, but now...

Tails heard the urgency and command in her tone, so he nodded back and continued to help the woman begin to move away and out the doors. Slightly dragging her, she wouldn't remove her eyes from Soler... so much emotion in those eyes... like marbles with galaxies of knowledge hidden inside of them... they held Soler suspended.

"You don't understand!" She once again fought, but Tails was soon helped by more of her pursuers, wanting justice for not catching her in the first place. She had many arms grabbing and looping around her, and in a mournful cry, she reached for Soler. "They could track you through your transmissions!"

Soler immediately reached out, so quickly in fact, that only Sonic could see his reflex was powered by chaos energy. He sparked the ground just lightly and Sonic watched with a little bit of surprise.

"...Well, that's interesting." Sonic narrowed his eyes on it as it was all done in a blink of an eye. He wondered how Soler was able to do such a fleet so fast, "Almost looked involuntary for the guy..." he pondered out loud, "Friction? Perhaps?" but followed up by walking over to Sally. "Lots of things I should know about?" He actually was resisting the urge to try and make static with his own feet moving that fast, but held it in. Time for fun later, right now, the Freedom Fighters needed him.

"Most definitely." she sighed, "Soler-" trying to get him back on their side, she began to move towards him like the leader of the Freedom Fighters, not a girlfriend.

She touched his arm, "Whatever this woman is or isn't... we need to discuss the matter more fully later." she squeezed lightly on his arm.

She lightly moved her hand down to then grasp his trembling hand, feeling a little electrical zap from it, but figured it was from her fingers gliding over his fur.

However, Soler's hand felt the woman's, her fingers curling around his own and then clinging as though for life to his own, outstretched mercy. In that moment, he knew... he knew with certainty that she was someone in need. Someone he needed to help.

"Set off the alarms." he finally spoke, but it was more like a breathy whisper.

"What?" Sally gently moved closer, leaning her ear towards him, but keeping her eyes on his ghostly white countenance.

Two different forces of pressure. One gentle, in one hand... the other in great need, unable to loosen their powerful grip, not even by one bit. Was all hope truly lost for this woman? Was she that desperate for him..?

"...We've been breached." he finally admitted to himself, not just about New Mobotroplis, but within his own being as well.

Suddenly, Sally's eyes widened, realizing that if this older woman could get in so easily then...

Why hadn't the alarms gone off?

She looked to the woman, "How did you get in here without setting off the defenses?"

The woman's eyes began to tear up, blinking fast as she gritted her teeth and kept her hold on Soler, not responding to anything. Her mouth trembled in her quiet crying...

Sally immediately held herself up, a princess with a job to do, and headed straight out the door. Picking up Nicole's computer, she flipped it open, just like the old days. It was an ancient device at this point, but a good communicator, nonetheless. "Nicole, this is Sally. We've been breached!"

It wasn't long until Sally was able to set up an interview with the woman, claiming to be Sophia Stratus. The interrogation room was mostly a one-way mirror like in any police station, but this time, the room was more like a small living space than just a empty feel with one table and two chairs.

"So let me get this straight..." Sally rubbed her hands through her silk-thin hair, having it flow by her shoulders in her exhaustion from pulling an all-nighter and now working into the afternoon. She was mostly slouched on the table, trying to get answers but too exhausted to record them. Instead, Soler was in charge of writing what she said down, and it was some pretty disturbing stuff about the mercenaries. Still,... why wasn't Sally asking the real question that she knew he wanted to know?

Sally had some paper with notes scribbled onto it, seeing that indeed, Nicole had run a few blood sample tests and the woman did appear to be Soler's mother. She purposefully didn't question that, and continued to avoid the topic. "You're an arranged marriage that went horribly wrong, and now you're trying to make things right?" she seemed incredulous at that statement. "Why now? Why not run away beforehand if this is all really true?"

She hadn't told Soler... that this was, in fact, his mother.

How could she? This woman may use that as leverage for something.

How would the mercenaries know about Soler and even accurately identify his mother? Besides the looks and blood tests, it's unlikely they'd go to that extreme.

But she was keeping it an option, nonetheless, for Soler's sake. She'd seen crazier anomalies in the past...

But this one was highly unexpected.

"You seem more than a friend." Sophia pointed out, "But I'm glad he has someone to guide him..."

She saw the look of tenderness in the mother's eyes, but also of hurt, and shook off the spooky feeling. She knew Soler was listening, and didn't want to give him any more reason to freeze up. He didn't deserve this, who did? Finding out your family is some-kind of sick breeding nest for evil? She kept her thoughts to herself, maybe she was losing grip of her true nature due to her fatigue?

She couldn't be affected by this woman, no matter what she said or did, for Soler's sake... Everything she was doing was for Soler and for New Mobotroplis.

"You warned us before that it isn't safe here? Could you elaborate on that." She knew they were being recorded too, and adjusted the mic towards her. Soler wrote some more notes down but soon tossed the paper to the side and intently listened in, growing more and more frustrated that Sally wasn't asking her directly about her statement claiming to be his mother. His hands spread out on the table as his nose was inches away from the viewing, one-way mirror.

'Sal...' he bit on his teeth, grinding them slightly. 'Why are you avoiding it..?'

"We're just trying to learn the truth." Sally put her hands together, seeing the woman look off from her and stare at a painting of the sky, brimming with green rolling hills littered with feathered, hair-like grass and ferns beneath it.

"I'd only risk death by fleeing if it meant keeping my hidden son safe." Her voice seemed older now, as though aging rapidly now that she was finally out of that abusive situation. She finally looked to Sally, acknowledging her hesitancy in not asking about it beforehand. "If you don't mind, I'd like to tell my child personally... why his life has been the way it has."

Sally looked down at the paper, flipping it over to cover it's specific details of truth and shook her head. "I don't think that's best." There was already enough on their plates as was. It may seem crucial now, but everyone's safety was greater than that.

She blew out from her mouth after stating that, leaning up a bit to carry on with her conversation, trying to fight the her weariness.

She hoped Soler felt the same... And that he'd do the right thing.

But then, a large bashing crashed through the room as the door was swung open, and Soler stepped inside the interrogation room.

"Soler-!" Sally's chair scooted back, seeing him barge in and not even look at her, but fold his arms. He held himself higher, as though trying to desperately seem alright, and moved by her to the woman. "You can't just-!" Sally continued to protest but he simply didn't listen.

"I'm here. So, go on." Soler stated quite forwardly, as though not leaving room for Sally to object any further.

Heartbroken by him once again disobeying direct orders, she sighed and sat down. He was already here, but his emotions were rampant. She didn't know if she could trust him to think of everyone's safety over his own curiosity, but she also knew it must be challenging. She did know it was his mother... so maybe that instinctual knowledge was driving him to behave this way... even though she knew that he was aware of how much she wanted him to remain in control over himself.

It just wasn't possible for a situation like this...

There was a moment of thought between everyone, as though silence in the world was like a cacophony of words left in the mind.

After a moment, Sophia finally had the strength to speak up, and took each word carefully, speaking slowly.

"What is the earliest memory you can recall?" Sophia Stratus stated, "I would like a decent starting point."

"Nothing you would know." He coldly stated, and Sally placed a gentle hand on his arm. He took a deep breath, "First, let's see if you know where you left me."

"The Sun-Side Orphanage. Though it's name changed after the war." She explained without hesitation. "You left, like I hoped you would. But I had prayed you'd see better days... away from this mess." She looked solemnly down to the ground, "I had to leave you... Could you imagine what would have happened if he made you like-" she cut herself off, as though being cut physically with a knife, and turned away. "I'm sorry..."

As she collected herself, she closed her eyes, "My first son... Shay Stratus... was such a sweet boy." she began, "But when his chaos abilities began to formulate into wonderful displays of art and beauty,... my husband tortured him, beat him down until Shay turned his gift into a monstrous weapon..." she could see the shadow of her son rise in her eyes, and burning flames conquering up the rest of the spaces in her mind... "He can no longer go back... to gentle tea time moments with his mother..."

She took a deep breath, opening her eyes to see Sally and Soler looking entranced at her words, "...I couldn't let that same fate... no matter how hard I tried to preserve my first son... befall my secret blessing." she once again covered her eyes in the darkness behind her eyelids, as though transporting to another place in reality.

"I ran in the night..." A young woman's eyes opened, a seamless transition that burst through the curtains of her eyes, as though a memory lost long ago. A hidden tragedy... but that lead to such hope.

"I held you tightly in my arms... and hoped the ever-free skies would connect us again, linking us through the never-ending circle that created the orb upon which we reside..." The younger Sophia, showing now that she was once beautiful, and her colors radiant... placed the baby in a hurried haste down on the porch, before about to take off. "But then I noticed... how similarly our quills were." The wind blew harshly, and as she covered her face, the bundle of cloth that swaddled the baby suddenly blew off, revealing his crying face. "I had been so distressed... since last feeding you, I had barely checked to truly see what you looked like... worried I would find his face in yours... I was brought to my knees at the sight... of those ever-free blue streaks of sky still reigning in your appearance... and that your blood may one day defeat the sinister, underling devil of the blood you were mixed with." Seeing the boy's face, the mother fell to her knees and wept silently, about to grab the boy. "But it was not meant to be..." She paused and flinched at the click of a door, staring wide-eyed as someone was coming out. "Fate would not let me turn back on my decision... and for that, I am grateful. For my temptation, at first seeing you, my son... was too great a trial to have gone uninterrupted."

The woman fled into the snow, hiding as best she could as she dug herself into the cold. Soler was picked up by some nurses and monks, who looked around to see who had left the baby there.

"We've got another one, Misses!" A man cried out, smiling gleefully at the little boy. "A munchkin, indeed, he is! He's as white as the winter that brought him, and as blue streaked like the tears that forged him!" He billowed a laugh, as though so used to this scenario that it wasn't sad anymore. "Oh? Lookie 'ere. Soler... What a name! A fine name! Think we'll keep this one?" He turned back to enter the door, "Soler... yeah, let's keep it. It's got a destiny to it, me finks." the man disappeared through the door as the women all crowded to see the new arrival, and as the child's cries shredded through the blistering cold, the door was finally shut to everything now...

But awakened one last hope in the young woman's bawling, brokenhearted eyes.

Sophia opened her now stained, red eyes as though feeling that cold alive again. Those harsh, but true words resounded in every bone, forcing those fading cries through the night into a great sense of empathy.

And thusly, Soler and Sally too had glossy eyes, feeling each hit that her words gave them, and remaining in reverent, sorrowful silence.

"Shay is stronger, due to his years of experience over you, my son." It was the sentence that broke the tension, but there was still a thick mist of deception around Sally. Could she really believe this story? It struck her heart, but what if it was fabricated by the mercenaries? Blood doesn't lie... but still. She wouldn't falter her resolve to learn everything first, then provide the trust later. However,... her true nature wanted to comfort the woman... "But if even a little of that power resides in you, you must use it to defend mobian lives... that shade of blue you wear." Sophia gestured to her own, looking finally into Soler's eyes, but weakly so, as if the emotions were too great to bear again. "Is what will stop the Stratus's from their murders and secret combinations of the infernal pit!" she pat out the words, as though hatred had singed her motherly love into burnt coal. "Stratus... that accursed word... meaning to send a continuous streak of horizontal grey against the ever-free skies... blocking out freedom. The blue color that symbolizes the blood of a free man, and the value upon which good, harmony, and peace live upon... the air is free, the clouds steal from the seas... the skies are open, but the clouds are clever blankets of pure white that shield such a view... making it seem an illusion that there is something greater beyond them... that it's somehow out of reach." She opened her hands up, "When really... we are all apart of the sky... it only ends at the ground." she took a deep breath, as if sucking in more freedom to remain courageous and steadfast in telling them the information. To her, it was vital to keep going, though it was like watching a woman tear herself apart trying to speak such hidden truths she had kept silent for so many years...

Sally finally turned to Soler, and noticed the ghostly expression, as though his soul was hovering on every word, and his mind carried in her visions she described.

"That freedom has always been a value of mine... and I'm glad to see it carried in you." She nodded to him, but he was already so deep in her world, he felt like he was transported and hovering upon the skies she described... "Until it was compromised... when I learned that Conor Stratus was no man of value or worth, but one of deception and ruthlessness... Now my skies have been grey, with never-ending... torturous memories of snow... and the rainstorms your father has kept me trapped in... for so... so long."

She looked truly weighed down by her life's sorrows, but a strong, subtle strength remained present in her nobility too. "It broke me to leave you there... but I vowed to never let my values be compromised again. Nor will I allow him to find you. That was the strength that drove me to finally take my leave, and risk everything, Miss Acorn. The strength that pulled me out of my wet self-pity, and into the sun of a brighter morning to come." She wiped her tears and stood up, which in return, made Sally stand up with her... almost as if a reflex of her princess-training years... this woman... was acting like a dethroned queen.

"You are not Conor's son." she boldly stated, as though giving Soler a knightly honor to uphold. She ignored Sally a moment, who refused to leave the situation, and kept watching Soler as he seemed strangely influenced immensely by her words. Sally had already come to her senses, her suspicions reactivated again as she saw the hypnotizing trance this woman had on Soler, and looked to her with narrowed eyes now... "You are mine,... and as such, I beg of you to uphold your truth! Save them all, please... and blow harshly against the grey lining of the clouds that dare to blur the skyward eyes... that search for a world without tyranny... or malice!" she hissed the last words out, and then felt herself overwhelmed as she sat back down, clutching her heart.

Nicole's voice immediately set in as the woman gripped the desk and fell over, "Sally! Her heart-! She's-! It's a heart attack!"

Almost stuck in spot, Sally's sudden feeling of being tricked dissipated in disbelief of what Nicole had stated. Was it jealousy? But rapidly now, Sally's compassion flooded her senses and she wanted to believe what was really happening, but did that mean those emotions from before that she bore were that great? How could that be? Could her want to protect Soler cloud her tenderness for poor, elderly woman?

Soler fell to his knees, grabbing the woman and pulling her to him. That value had been instilled in him at such a young age... he never thought he could actually be born with that. That he could have inherited it... from his... "Mother..?" he breathed out, unable to form the words due to their unnatural tendency to be spoken.

His mother was breathing with great gasps, her face looking pulled back as though being tugged by an invisible force as she shook slightly and struggled to remain in the moment, "I.. thought I'd... never see you again... I didn't know.. I still had... tears... left to sh-e-e-e-ed." The attack began to make her shake more violently than before, her eyes rolling.

Soler looked to Sally with tears, and she knew he believed her... but she still hesitated.

"Nicole, send in medical aid!" she called out, before turning to him. Bending down to his level, she went to reach a hand to his shoulder. "Soler..." but he scooped Sophia up in his arms and moved passed her, seeing her not move in time to help her and instead, reach for him. It was impulsive anger that spiked in him. He'd have to ask her later, why she was being so distant from a woman who clearly was in need.

"Help! I need a medic!" he cried out, as Sally reached and stroked a bit of his back and quills as he bulldozed out of the room. Longing to explain herself... knowing... he saw her lose this battle...

She looked at the paper on the table.

"But maybe not the war." she knew there was only one other person that could confirm such a tale and prove that Sally's suspicions were justified to some degree, and one who knew Soler's silent tears beyond her own knowledge. "I need a Shadow in the snow..."

Thinking it a possible ruse, though knowing the blood-test was still accurate, Sally still couldn't throw off the feeling of a planted spy or disrupter. "Am I being silly? Overthinking it all?" She bit her nails, speaking to Shadow through Nicole's signals. She was worried about what Sophia said before, in fact, everything she had said. But the part about the mercenaries possibly tracking their calls? She couldn't take the risk...

Still, a part of her wanted to believe her. However, she had to be absolutely certain that Soler's mother was on their side, like her words and story suggested...

"...You're doing this behind Soler's back?" Shadow seemed to be amused at that. "Then yes, you're too dead set on this being his evil mother who's come to finish the job and thereby somehow disrupting his purpose in life. You need to stop his possible father and brother from needlessly destroying freedom for gain, that's the ultimate takeaway from all this. It doesn't matter whether he believes it's his missing link to his family or not... all that should matter to you, right now, is the safety of your people and stopping Eggman's forces from staging another attack on New Mobotroplis."

His words made sense, but she didn't think it right to just abandon the dilemma now.

"It... It is his family." she finally admitted, both to Shadow and to herself, "But he's already so far gone... he doesn't follow orders and I'm worried that if his mother asks him to do something, he would..." Would his loyalty so quickly change?

"Then this is about control?" Shadow's voice seemed to rise in accusation against Sally. "They're apart of the abductions. I've found out where they are... and they're moving quickly like a swarm of ants... I think this activity could be directly from this Sophia's escape... If that helps you to trust her, maybe it's enough to take her at face-value... for now." Shadow warned.

Sally felt the sting of his words but nodded, "Maybe it is my pride." she tried to confess, "But I'm also just so worried about him being manipulated..."

"Soler has always felt two values in his life... protecting those who can't, and mastering his abilities to defeat those that have wronged him. He has already completed the latter... but he'll never fully be satisfied with the first. If this mother-figure is triggering his first and foremost value, then it's possible she could control him over you."

"So then I'm not crazy and an overly protective girlfriend?" Sally seemed to be showing her feminine anxiety, and Shadow sighed loudly into the mic at it. It was like a funny reminder for her to stay—professionally—the Princess. "Right, sorry. I'll try and... not power-struggle too much with her. I just want Soler to be alright." she turned tender towards the end, and Shadow conceded that that was enough.

"You have every right to be worried about him... after all, you were the one that helped his fears in resolving his second value... you helping him through this... this behavior of yours is very much what I'd expect of you. If you love him as much as you seem too." He gave her a slight pick-me-up and she smiled fondly in recognition of it.

"Thank you, Shadow..." she lightly stated.

"It's not wrong of you to concern yourself in his life, but perhaps making him apart of his own life's concerns with you wouldn't be a bad idea, either... this isn't just your battle to fight. Soler is emotionally reckless..." he seemed to say that last line with the same disappointment a loving mentor would, "But that is exactly why he needs you to stabilize him. Don't call again." With that usual 'anti-social' and 'anti-hero' persona that Sally has come to love in Shadow, he hung up on her and she knew he was done talking about emotions for one day.

"Guess I'm not on my own after all." She held the phone, knowing she needed to tell Soler the truth. With a heavy heart, she texted him the truth, and said she needed to attend defenses since the mercenaries were moving and they needed to save the other hostages...

When Soler received the text, he was laying in his room, having been told to take a day off; which he found hard to enjoy. After reading it, he felt his soul quake with a slight bit of anger that Sally didn't speak with him personally.

'Why didn't she tell me herself!? I know she's busy, but...' he got up and rubbed his eyes from having stared at the ceiling in thought for so many hours... Now, the woman he had met really was his mother, and Sally had texted the document of their DNA test to prove it. Nicole had even stated some interesting facts about his mother's blood, but he wasn't going to pour through it yet. He wasn't ready, though acceptance was coming...

"Sally..." He smushed his fingers around his face, just disgruntled. "Saallllyyy..!" he fell back onto his firm bed, tossing a bit as he just wanted to see her, talk to her about all this.

It was hard... but he knew what everyone was trying to do, and it was less about him than those suffering people who desperately needed help.

The Freedom Fighters weren't going to stand for Eggman and his mercenary recruits, no one was going to be robotized today.

However...

Why did she hesitate to help Sophia? She would only call her Mrs. Stratus too... Why did she want to be so unemotional towards her?

That part did bother him... how overly cautious Sally seemed to be around her.

He sighed, turning over in his bed to slightly curl up, putting his hands behind his head as he did so, "Whatever..." he was too tired to do anything about it now. He was also emotionally drained, though it seemed Sophia would make it, she was also in recovery.

He would have to wait till later to resolve this matter... and get more intel on what his mother wanted him to do about his... father and misguided brother.

Unknown Territory: Eggman Empire's Robotization Camps

Like a line in a slave-train, the prisoners marched. Mercenaries were covered in shadows from the clouds that blocked out the sun and the lightning that slashed the sky in a sound like the whips on the prisoners backs. They drove them on, before each one was thrown or forced with a heavy push into Eggman's machines that robotized them and put them headfirst into the army.

The landscape was barren and like the dunes of nothingness. Lead into steel domes and then hauled through contraption that would close rapidly and zap a few times, then rise up to reveal the new Eggman Empire robot solider.

"Quite a loyal regiment." Shay smirked, seeing the process unfold. "You'd never need to recruit again, father." He looked beside him, a very broad shouldered man who glared with little emotion down at the screaming and terrified hostages.

"Is this all of them?" Conor stated, bluntly.

"Ouch, you make it sound like it's easy to pluck ants from the ground." Shay pinched his fingers together to demonstrate. "We're getting there."

"We should have been there." Conor began to walk on, and blowing a raspberry behind him was a frustrated Shay.

"I do this for no pay, and now, no respect too?" he complained.

His father growled over his shoulder, "Watch your tongue."

"And bite it till it bleeds?" Shay grinned, teasingly. "Honestly, you make it sound like I'm not even trying to please you."

"Because you're not. You're sadistic. You purposefully take no pay because you know you'll inherit the clan the moment you turn the appropriate age." Conor looked on, "If I had a few more sons like you, I wouldn't even need to take jobs like this..." he put his hands in his large cloak's pockets. "But for some reason... your mother..." he then stopped a moment and looked around.

"...Where is your mother?"

"Already hungry for something you've been dry of for years?" Shay mocked.

"...No, she turned dry." Without so much as remorse, he said that as though she was useless to him now. "But where is she?" he tried to mentally remember the last time he saw her. "Something's not right..." he walked bristly towards the camera room, looking at the plant. He touched the leafs... no one had watered it for a while...

"Dry..." he hissed out, "Your mother has finally signed her death wish." he took a bit of a breath, as though knowing this would happen, but not thinking she'd have the guts to actually go through with it. "You have a new job now,... Son."

"Pfft, so depressing." Shay stretched out, "I'll bring her back."

"No..." Conor closed his eyes, before walking back over to the cameras, "This seems to be more than that..."

Shay looked confused for a moment, before his eyes widened and he looked surprised towards his father. "Really? You think the wells done for?"

"I don't need a well." He typed in the last thing she must have saw before deciding to flee, and then... saw Soler. "Ah... I knew that blue looked familiar..." He zoomed in, "It looks just like her..."

"How... can that be?" Shay pulled on his own quills, "He looks different than me..."

"Not by much. He's the splitting image of your mother." Conor smiled, "She's led us straight to him..."

"Straight to..?" Shay still seemed on a different page, but Conor just turned his massive form towards him.

"A heed of warning... I believe your mother hasn't always been dry... perhaps I had mistakenly taken my eye off of her for too long..." He fiddled with a knife by his side. "Take care of it. Retrieve your... 'beloved' mother." Conor took the knife out and stabbed the screen where the son he never knew he had resided... Then tossed it to Shay, who let it drop on the ground, staring at it with a bit of a narrowed look. "That chaos energy should have been mine..." he hit the control panel with all his brute strength, his fangs crunching against his other teeth in his anger.

"...I have a little brother?" Shay began to connect the dots, looking at the Chaos Spears and then Soler's white and blue quills... He then looked to the knife, in curiosity... putting new points together... "All... apart of the dirty work... I suppose." He looked down, as though feeling betrayed as well, and turned towards the door. "But what if she's told the Freedom Fighters? She's already 'increased' their odds..." he gripped his hand before having a flourishing flick of it, acting more sinister in what he was about to do.

The father said nothing, and Shay just pulled on his gloves, making sure they were tight in their resolve. An order is an order... after all. He tsk'ed, "Just another day then, eh, dad?"

Conor slammed his fists to the control panel again, denting it , clearly wanting to have another unit with chaos energy with him.

Shay rolled his eyes, "Never enough for you, is it?" and began to walk on out... laughing as his evil grew...

Rouge watched from above, then signaled to Espio, who quickly moved to alert Shadow... moving invisibly, he only appeared to whisper into Shadow's ear, who was wearing a garb to keep the dusty dirt that flew in the barren wind out of his face.

They were a while away from the camp, but Shadow's eyes widened in distress, and quickly pulled out Nicole. "Alert them. There going to move, and fast."

Back in New Mobotroplis

Shadow had finally returned to the Freedom Fighter's Headquarters, upset by the distressful scene he, Espio, and Rouge had all witnessed. They didn't wait for backup, and did save a few hundred people or so before arriving back in New Mobotroplis... but to reverse the effects of robotization was still a feat that everyone was working on.

Sally, exhausted from not getting any sleep, moved over to Shadow like a zombie as she placed her hand on his shoulder, her eyes barely open. "Good work out there, Shadow... I should check on Soler... could you lead the research community for now?"

"Have you not slept since-!?" He was bewildered by her state, and with everything happening, he wasn't in the mood to loosen-up on her. He took a breath and lowered his angled arms which had been raised in his aggressive state, "No excuses. You should rest. Let him stay close to the action." he folded his arms, as though not willing to hear her fight back on this one.

"B-but-" she began, looking like she could collapse forward any minute as he helped her steady herself.

"What did I just-?" he sighed, "Trust that Soler is smarter than that." Whatever her concern was, he already knew.

She nodded, chuckling lightly, "You really believe that he won't... be manipulated? She's his mother, Shadow... I'm just constantly worried. We don't know her. I've only seen two sides of her, scared and... strangely regal." she stood straight again as Shadow seemed to ignore the fluff of the information and turn her towards the living spaces where the rooms were located.

"I hope I do." he stated, "And no matter who she is... he's known us the longest. You have to trust your heart over your blood, sometimes." Shadow seemed to be speaking from his own experiences, and watched her begin to move towards the living quarters. He wouldn't take his sights off of her until he knew she was safely inside, in case she got any ideas. She did turn around to look over her shoulder at him, but he just folded his arms and glared heavily towards her in a deep, authoritative frown. She now knew what Soler must have felt...

Squinting at the light, Sally finally gave in and opened the door to the building.

"...Honestly, you worry me more." Shadow watched her a second longer before turning to the rescued hostages and helping pass out water and collect further information. It was difficult, they all asked about family and friends, describing them as Shadow fought hard to not remember any particular faces or features. He simply passed out the water, and didn't say any comforting words. Rouge and Espio were slightly different in their approach though, but looked to Shadow in understanding.

Everyone knew he felt the most about it, but would be the last to say anything. To Shadow, actions spoke louder than words... and they only were able to save the few lucky ones they smuggled out or rescued along the way.

Sally was comforted... having someone admit she needed to rest made it more easier for her to accept having to go to sleep, so it wasn't surprising when she dropped on the couch by the entrance and fell into a light sleep. As she did so, Soler was dreaming himself, recalling a moment in the orphanage where the children were bullying one another.

In his sleep, he tossed, "No... leave them alone..." He turned again, "Stop it... You..." as he flinched, he suddenly rose up from the bed in a shaken state, "I won't see them fall!" he breathed heavily, unsure why he was sweating so much, but moved the bed-sheets and rubbed his face again.

"Ugh... a night terror? Haven't had those in a while..." He wasn't used to such vivid dreaming for quite some time, remembering getting beaten-down and standing right back up again, so the older kids didn't bully the younger, more weaker ones. "Bad dream..." he shook his head,... having seen the younger children all fall to the ground by the cruel, unfeeling punches of those who had no other means to vent their uncontrolled and uncomforted emotions. But then... he remembered the last thing he was thinking about before falling asleep.

"Sally... Soph-" he stopped himself, "My... mother?" He looked back at the communication device, feeling strange again, and looking downhearted.

"No, I have to see her." He made his decision, and got up. Fixing his shoes on tightly, he adjusted his quills into place from the bed-hair with all the tossing and turning he had done and headed out the door.

Walking to the living space, he immediately saw Sally's red hair and froze, amazed to see her so quickly. "Sal?" He walked quietly over and noticed her sound asleep.

Her eyes blinked a moment, and he remained still.

She slowly... fell back asleep, and he gently stroked her cheek and lowered himself down to her. "How long... have you been here?"

She blinked her eyes lazily open, weak with fatigue, and he narrowed his eyes.

He picked her up without another word, taking her back to an opened room and set her down, tucking her in, and kissing her forehead. Closing the door, he knew he must have missed a lot that was going on. He had so many questions for her... so much he wasn't aware of. But that would have to wait.

Still, he knew there was one woman who would have some answers...

More than he bargained for...

Heading to Sophia Stratus's interrogation room with purpose, he didn't even noticed Shadow hide himself and begin to watch him... closely...

For Sally's concerns and Soler's well-being, he just wanted to observe how their relationship really was developing. Was Sally's concerns justified? He had no reason to believe they weren't, but wondered if Soler was truly being aware of the influence this woman was supposedly having on him.

'I taught him better than that,' Shadow gritted his teeth, 'He better not disappoint me... or the princess.'

Sopia was sitting on the couch, having eaten only a little bit of the nicely made food provided for her. She wished there was a window... but instead, fixed her sights on the painting's lush colors and vivid depiction of a meadow and brilliant sky, feasting on the feeling it gave to her. It had been so long since she had seen the real sky, but even looking at it through a painting was somewhat comforting. Still, she knew she wasn't safe, and wouldn't be until Conor and her son's mercenaries were finally put to an end. Eggman already was a lot to take for the world, and now them?

When Soler opened the door after the green light turned red, showing that the door was unlocked, she took another cleansing breath and sat up straighter.

'No going back,' she told herself, 'You must address this. Head-on. He may dislike it, but he must know the significance of defeating his father... and possibly saving his brother...' she looked down, as though in her heart she worried her eldest son was now beyond saving...

Soler had always felt like his nature started in the orphanage... but seeing the look of fear and love in her eyes... he was conflicted now.

"I... wanted to talk to you." He slowly moved himself to the table, sitting down.

As he put his hands together, trying to do something hard, Sophia patted the couch a little ways away from her, as though encouraging him to come closer. She scooted over to make him more comfortable, giving him some space.

He looked at the space a moment, but conceded to the notion.

So many thoughts raced through his head, as though he was trying to form a script of all the questions he wanted to ask her, but they were coming off too direct in his mind, and he wanted to be gentler.

It was so hard. This was hard.

He felt like his whole body had bricks and weights on him. Every time he moved closer to her, every step was like a crumbling bit off the stone. Jagged in his movements, he was awkward as he tried to be formal and polite, but clearly was holding back every bit of him that wanted to know more, to be sure.

He cleared his throat and sat down, taking a glance at her and noticing once again the similar features, and then looked away again. "In the orphanage... I mean, I should start with, I had a dream about the orphanage." He seemed nervous, "You know," His famous tell came out, and she tilted her head to listen intently. "I was always sticking up for the weaker kids, I didn't care if I got beaten up for them. I grew tough, and I never regretted the orphanage, just how awful people can be to each other." He spoke a lot with his hands, maybe trying to lessen the nerves as his whole being tremored like earthquakes at random intervals.

She saw his shaky hands and looked away, trying to figure out how to break the awkward tension in the air.

He didn't need to ask her for proof, or tell her he knew she was telling the truth. It wasn't relevant. She already knew that and he didn't want to come off making her believe that he doubted her. Even if everyone seemed to... he just was incredulous at the shock of it all. He hadn't made a decision, per-say... but now it was official.

What would she do? What would she want of him? Of anybody?

Maybe this was the same feeling Sally had, and he had to accept that her caution was out of love, too.

Sophia listened gently, before looking off with another soft sigh. "As a young girl, far into my youth, I would stand up for my sisters constantly." she looked back at the painting. "Many offers for their hands came through the pipeline to my father, but he was a very political man... only certain suitors could qualify. Sadly, these suitors were not anything we could have desired." She removed some of her raggedy brown cloak, bunched at her neck, to reveal some awful scars. "I couldn't watch them suffer." she admitted, then covered herself up again. "I haven't had that strength to stand up to others in years... but when I saw you, I had life again, and..." She turned towards him, but worried she was coming off too strong, she adjusted herself away again. "Sorry..."

She had stood up for Shay countless times while he was still young, but after getting beaten down so many times, she couldn't fight anymore. The little boy willingly went after a time, and he never shed further tears for her. He had become harden and stiff, and she feared to ever admit that she had lost her darling eldest son. But she didn't want that for Soler, and knew in her heart that she could still prevent this tragedy.

It gave her strength to keep going, to keep having this conversation.

Soler immediately got up and embraced her. "I said the same thing." he admitted, and though it took all his emotional strength to do so, he also couldn't bare to hear that she suffered.

Although Soler was uncomfortable, giving her this bit of reassurance that she wouldn't be abused anymore was still apart of him. He could feel it... His origin's pieces, half of them lied with her, and he wanted more than anything to learn more and also accept the good that he gained from her.

But what of his other blood..? His powers... what did he truly inherit from his mother? And what... was the rest?

He had always wondered about his unknown abilities and powers, looking at his hands from behind her back, peering over her shoulder. Was he really... the horrible monster he always thought could possibly be there? Or was he the angel of the ever-free skies..? Was it possible that he could choose?

The closeness was soon interrupted, lightly returned by the mother, but didn't feel right when Sally suddenly burst through the door. Her hair a mess, her eyes blackened underneath, and clearly distressed.

She scanned a moment and slowly softened her accusing eyes, looking full of betrayal to now one of understanding. She sighed, trying to lighten her fears, "What did she tell you?" she asked, looking exhausted still.

It was clear she was upset that Soler had disregarded her fears, but as he moved away from his mother, looking towards her, he also wanted to comfort her. "S-Sal..."

He was finding himself torn between a mother figure and a companion...

He looked between the two girls, and Sally was hurt by the struggle it seemed to be. She felt she was his family,... maybe Shadow was right?

Shadow had seen Soler speak with his mother in secret, and went to find Sally. He felt the closeness wasn't a bad thing, but maybe not alone in case the woman really was affiliated still with the cold-hearted mercenaries. His prejudice did him in, and he ended up leaving halfway through observing them to retrieve Sally, siding slightly with her fears. He also didn't understand fully the dynamic of what it must feel like to have a parent, especially being on one's own for so long, so partially his was his ignorance to that emotional pull that also moved him to act as he did. He had only had Maria... and that was that.

Shadow wouldn't put it passed the mercenaries to scheme up something like this, even if it was Soler's biological mother. He had seen where half his blood came from and rejected it's evil, and now it seemed, Soler would have to do the same. Soler could have been a planted pawn this whole time... though it seemed unlikely, Shadow worried the mother could be conditioning him to be as such.

Soler looked beyond Sally, seeing some curious eyes peek in of other Freedom Fighters, having seen Sally and Shadow talking before her bolting towards the interrogation facility. Not liking how everyone was so against her, he narrowed his eyes in authority, "Hey!" they all jumped except Sally at the door. "Get my mother some food and water." he then got up briskly and took Sally's arm, tugging her out with him, "We need to talk." he gave her a serious expression, and humbly realizing her error, she nodded and submitted to his anger.

"You have every right to be upset." she began, "But I do too." she pulled the arm away from him as he remained facing away from her.

He bundled his fists, "She's my mother... why didn't you tell me in person?"

She opened her mouth to speak but withdrew instead, holding back what she really wanted to explain, but felt it was pitiful.

Sophia stayed in her new trap, a lot nicer than where she used to live. She placed her hands elegantly to her lap and sighed. She knew she wasn't trusted, and seeing a figure in the shadows with red eyes... she also knew she was being carefully watched.

She was in the right, so she had nothing to fear from these people... but it was those who did wrong that truly terrified her.

What if they come for them..? Hurry their preparations knowing she would tell their enemies everything?

She remained still and silent, her breath catching on the fear of that irreversible travesty.

Sally's hand clung to her arm in defeat, "Shadow agrees with me... that sometimes, you let your emotions cloud your judgement."

Soler turned around, "Does she seem like a ruthless killer to you!?"

The door was slightly shut, but not locked. Sophia looked to it, slightly listening in on the muffled conversation, but unable to make most of the words out.

"How do you know that she's not just pretending!? Using this to lure the Freedom Fighter's into an elaborate trap!?" She swung her once held back arm out towards where Sophia's interrogation room was. "Is her name even Sophia!? Was she bought out to lie about this?! We can always put it passed Eggman to come up with something like this, but mercenaries are an enigma. We know they'll take innocent lives to Eggman's robotization machines for power and greed, what makes you think they wouldn't devise something like this!?"

"It's too-" Soler began,

"Unethical?" She had a point, "Soler, it may be complexed, but so are our lives!"

"I just... I can't see that in her." He looked away, "I can't see her not being my mother, in both heart and blood."

Sally looked concerned.

Sensing that, he spoke up again to reassure her, "Look..." He put his hands on her arms, gently bringing her closer. "Nothing will replace what I have here, with you, in the Freedom Fighters. But I can see the missing puzzle pieces in her, Sally. I can see where I got some of me from."

"But you develop on your own course, Soler." She placed her hands up by his shoulders, wanting desperately to embrace him and not fight anymore, but as a leader... she needed to be fierce. "You can't grow too close to her... not until we gain more information and learn to trust that what she says and demonstrates to us is factual and true."

He sighed, disappointed, but knew in his mind that was the right thing to do. His heart ached, but he nodded to her logic. "Okay... I'll try and not see her without supervision."

She smiled, "Thank you. Just be-"

"More cautious?" He smirked, trying to lighten the mood.

"You really do have a wonderful smile." she giggled, and he took that as an invite to hug her.

They held one another for a good, long, solid minute. There was so much healing in that embrace as Sally whispered 'Sorry' a few more times, and Soler gently stroked her back and also admitted he was in the wrong too.

"I won't act on my own again... not without you." All his tender love poured out into that sweet sentence, taking her in and not wanting to let her go. He wanted her apart of this, not against it, but knew now that it was out of love. He had felt her doubt, even in himself, he just chose to accept it... which may take more convincing for Sally, but it was all with good intent.

"You can, but... maybe talk it over with me, once in a while." She was in a much better mood, hearing him say such kind things. Considering it wasn't just him going through this odd, new experience... She wanted to be there for him too. "I want to be apart of your troubles... Soler."

"But you're already apart of my happiness," Soler moved his head a little aways to look directly in her eyes, their foreheads touching in a longing moment. "Those two don't always collide..."

"You saying I take your troubles away?" She stated, amused, but he lightly touched his nose to hers and closed his eyes.

"That's exactly what I'm saying..." his voice turned into a breathy confession, and she moved slowly up to kiss him... but then a large alarm sounded out and Nicole's voice echoed in terror over the speakers.

"Fighters! Enemy has infiltrated the city walls! It's heading straight for us!"

Screams and cries from frightened civilians and rescued victims sounded out in an array of chaos.

Looking to each other and then racing out, the two forgot to lock Sophia's door...

It swung slightly, and Sophia watched it with real intent.

Now was her moment... to try one last time.

Chaos energy shot up the walls of a building like lighting embedded into it's structure before the entire thing burst once it reached the top. Shay walked through their defenses like a battering ram, though he seemed to have barely made a sweat.

"Oh, mother?" he spoke very casually, then flicked his hand towards another building. "Are you hiding in here..?" the lightning chaos effect traveled up the building, and as he crushed his fist, it exploded once again and he moved on. "Well, we were hoping to knock a little later... but seeing as things are, you playing hide and seek with my mother and all, now seems to be as good a time as any!" he called out with a cruel glee, creepy in how his satisfaction seemed to skyrocket once seeing Sally and Soler rush out into the open before him.

"Ah, my unknown brother... and the Princess? Isn't this charming... a real family and enemy reunion." he bowed slightly, in a showy fashion that would have mimicked Scourge in an awful sense. "Does dear mother love you more than me? Is that why she left me to come see you?"

"Brother?" Soler shook off the comment, "You're hurting people! That's enough for me to take you on!" He was about to step forward.

"No!" Sophia quickly dashed out, spreading her arms to stop him and hold him back. Her eyes were glossy with tears, she knew this would happen. She looked up at the sky, hoping to avoid this day as much as possible, and taking in the beautiful outdoors again.

Freedom... she had freedom for a split second, and she wanted to make the most of it... do the right thing with it... since a long, long time.

Soler and Sally were amazed to see her out of her room, but Shay only gleefully exclaimed a loud cry of surprise and relief, but it sounded completely faked.

Looking back down at the ground, Sophia had to tighten the resolve around her heart, and without looking to them, she spoke in a much more lowered and solemn tone. "I'm glad you've found someone to be there for you, son... He's lucky to have you, Princess." she blinked her eyes to push back the tears and turned in her noble way towards Shay.

"Shay..." she spoke as though pleading for his humanity.

"Dearest mother..." he spread his arms out, as if welcoming her back...

But his smirk showed his true motive, and Sophia had to be brave... "I won't stand to see you make them suffer."

Something once again triggered in Soler, he felt his whole being resound with that.

"I won't let them fall to your chaotic rampage. You find solace in other's suffering simply because there was no one to protect you from it... no matter how hard I tried." She looked truly pained to admit her weakness.

He rolled his eyes, "Still living in the past, mother?"

"The ever-free skies still cover the earth with a never-ending blue!" she pointed to the sky, "I wear that color in my blood and upon me! It will forever be woven in my DNA, and it is apart of you too, Shay..." she gestured to her blue streaks, then to him, "You can still change, Shay... you can choose to be something you truly are! Not what your father has made of you!"

He watched her a moment, a still look but his smirk dampened to a smile... and his arms lowered to his side.

He shook his head, "Shame," He seemed to have thought about it, but not very much. He flicked his head back to crack his neck, as though relaxing from that declaration... which he took as her breaking ties with their mercenaries pack. "Why would I disinherit all that father has left me? Such a pity... I did enjoy our little tea parties..." he then fired out a chaos attack that Soler had never seen before. The lightning that shot from his hands looked like randomly zig-zagging Chaos Spears but with trails of visible light and power shooting behind them.

Sophia stood her ground, for if she moved, Soler and Sally would be in the line of fire from the spider-webbing chaos attack.

The lightning chaos power suddenly pierced around her, upon the ground, flashing out of existence... Did he purposefully not hit her? Miss and just do it to threaten?

All at once, there was a momentary lull as he held his hand up, seeming to pause only for a second. Then, he closed his fist and the ground beneath her blasted and shot her up into the air.

Soler watched the particles of earth spray up around her as she was flung up, her back arching, her air coming out in a large exhale. "Haooh...!"

She fell hard back to the ground with the earth crumbling over her after her...

"Nooo..!" Soler dashed towards her, it was all so fast, he barely saw the attack.

Shay swayed his hand down, massaging it, "Ohh... I actually wanted to disintegrate the ground, but I figured... saving my power to destroy my secret brother... your precious son, would be more rewarding." he gripped his fists again, his smile like a devious demon as he waited to see if Soler would retaliate. "What's wrong, little brother? What did she call you anyway..?"

Soler held Sophia up to his shoulder, but it was clear she was knocked out pretty badly...

Besides maybe some broken bones, she did still appear to be breathing...

Sally turned to the others, "We can't fight a power like that without the Chaos Emeralds... Where's Sonic, Shadow, and Silver?" She saw Shadow appear, but couldn't find Sonic, no matter how many times she looked around. Seeing Shadow's face then, focusing on it, she knew what that meant... "Don't tell me..."

"He's gone off with Tails and Knuckles again... I hear they're going to rescue the others." He shook his head. "Sorry, while you were busy, a lot happened..." he glared at Shay Stratus, "I've seen him and his father, during the spy operations. He's a murderer as much as his father!" he took off one of his limiters, twisting it to click with light but Soler held up his hand behind him.

"No!" He got up, gently placing his mother down and looking slightly over his shoulder, "Shadow,... Sally... get my mother somewhere safe."

"Pfft! Arrogant child!" Shay bent down, as though readying to attack again, his hands crackling with lightning spears... "She's my mother!"

"Soler, don't! He's too powerful!" Sally had noticed the buildings, the unusual use of chaos power... "We don't know what we're up against! Especially you!"

"He's tiers above you, Soler! He's the mercenary leader's second in command and heir. Of course he'd want you dead!" Shadow made an outstanding point, but Soler was too far into his emotions to care.

With Soler out of the picture, it would be Shay that inherited the ruthless clan... perhaps that's why Shay didn't seem to be after killing his mother, but mostly, in getting rid of unnecessary competition...

"You hurt her... how does that make you more entitled to call her mother than me?" He lowered his head, his anger growing. "I just got her... and I don't know her very well,... but that doesn't mean I can't cherish her as a mother!" his whole being rose into the first level of Chaos Break. "She cared about freedom just as much as I do... maybe you never realized... but she was protecting you in her own way as well! When she failed... that's why she turned to extreme measures for me. She had already bonded and loved you... she couldn't bare to part with you, but she could with me!" Soler spiked his power, hunching down, concentrating his power to his hands and feeling the swarm of infinity fill his bones. Something new broke out just then, a secondary power he barely even recognized, something inbetween that was fueling him to the next level... Chaos Surge. "I don't know her like you do..! But I feel like I've been apart of her my whole life!" His eyes were white, as though becoming animalistic for a moment, his hands pierced like claws more than hands in gesture and movement within his speech. "I won't let you destroy the family I've found, either! And that now includes her, too!" he felt himself reach an ultimate, risky limit... Chaos Synergy... he hadn't felt this way in a long time...

"Heh, pathetic." Shay swished out his wrist again, and was suddenly already at Chaos Syngery levels, and Soler could feel it.

His eyes widened and shrank, shaking in disbelief. "Wha... T-that's not possible..." He was struggling so hard to keep this form, but this-... no, his older brother, was able to just flick his hand and reach it instantly without so much as a build up.

"How did you do that?"

Shay laughed, looking up to the skies his mother once pointed at and holding a finger up to it. "You weren't planning on trying to use something I haven't seen before, were you? There's really no way anyone on this planet can defeat me." a spike of lightning rained down upon his finger, and he slowly lifted his other hand towards Soler.

Everyone was in a panic, never having seen such powers before, and rushing to escape the battle.

The Lightning randomly would strike the ground, causing havoc as buildings burst into flames, people were thrown in the impacts, and many couldn't find a suitable shelter.

"Stop it!" Soler channeled everything he had... "I may not have your power... but mine is my own! It's the power... no, the judgement of the ever-free skies!" he held his palm up to the sky as Shay's cocky attitude suddenly turned serious.

His eyes showed the aura that was forming around Soler, "Is that... Dad's..?" he wondered, but then his eyes looked a little more surprised. "It can't be..."

"CHAOOOSSSS PUNISHMENT!" Soler threw his hand down, and from Shay's hand the lightning disappeared and shot like woven designs around the suddenly bright and white sky.

"AHHHH!" Soler's whole body seemed to spark with chaos power as Shadow pulled Sally back, his whole being losing some control over himself as he became pretty instinctual.

"Get down!" Shadow warned, guarding her as he had never seen Soler at this level before.

From the skies, bolts of Chaos Speared Lightning shot down, similar to Shay's attack but on a whole another level, overwhelming the area as Shay looked around at the randomly spiking spears of lightning.

He dodged pretty well, but was actually forced to pay attention now. 'He stole my own chaos force and sucked it into the sky... how was he able to control it?! Even Chaos Synergy can't handle that much chaos!' Shay looked a little unnerved, but not by much. 'I was born with a limit... but what if mother's ability..?' he looked back to see Soler had sped through the rain of lightning, and his whole body looked engulfed with an array of bolts sparking out of him.

"...You are my brother..." Shay admitted, as Soler slammed a fist into his chest.

Shay was shot back by thousands upon thousands of chaos lightning spikes, but what he wasn't expecting was that the sky took it's whole reservoir of chaos power and converged their many different lines of lightning all to slowly move and bundle together into one giant lightning bolt. He was flung outside the city walls... With a cascade of blazing white chaos energy.

It slowly dwindled and the clouds began to disperse, as though a lull after a storm...

Soler breathed heavily, skidding to stop his super speed, giving Sally and Shadow a thumbs up, before he suddenly collapsed.

Shay tossed ash and fallen trees off of himself, getting up and panting as his fur seemed a little singed, but he was fine. He dusted himself off, "That's... not very good." He brushed his quills back. "Ha... I can't let dad know his potential. I'll talk him off as a lesser chaos wielder. Wouldn't want him taking my reign from me." He beamed as though the war had just began. "Still, I can't come back empty-handed..." He looked to see people fleeing the city, and smirked. "How about a present for Eggman..? A bigger army..."

He walked, menacingly, towards the fleeing citizens...

He knew he dealt with his mother, she wouldn't recover from that for a while... so why not have some fun and let the little brother think he'd actually done something..? Then he'll be surprised when he comes back...

Not holding back...

Soler woke up with a blink that hurt his eyes. The lights were right upon him, and the hospital didn't seem to smell all that great either.

He slowly got up, feeling the wear and tear on his body before moving the covers and rubbing his face again, "I... Did I win?" He didn't think it would be over that quickly, but he also felt like he was about to throw up.

He fled to the bathroom and vomited, his body unable to handle so much pressure.

He knew he threw himself into the fray, even taking his brother's power at one point, but it was too much to handle and he couldn't concentrate it all into an epicenter at his opponent till much later.

He had shot chaos out of him to make room to harness so much, but it still pained him. He had thought he had learned everything about his powers and abilities,... but there was clearly steps only the adversary knew...

His family... his enemies...

he shook his head, "They're not..." He held in another ill feeling, "family..." he tried to get up, cleaning himself up before remembering his mother.

"Where..?" suddenly his mind raced to Luna... then to the village... "No..." He thought of the people screaming, the fires... then the lightning shooting up the buildings, blasting his mother, what had happened...

"Sally..!" he tried to get his feet under him and move as quickly as possible, dodging and forcing himself to ram against walls since he couldn't jump over the gurneys or other medical supplies the nurses and doctors were pulling down the halls.

Many cried out when they saw him, some mistaking his speed for Sonic's or Shadow's, before faltering as he came up to the desk, gripping it to stay upright.

On the way to it, he stumbled and saw Bunny for a quick moment beside Anton, but continued on.

He felt like a child, trying to keep himself balanced enough to remain straight, "So... Sophia... Sally... Where?"

"P-Princess Sally is unharmed, she isn't here." The poor secretary stood straight up upon seeing him, "S-sir, you need to go back to your room..."

"Not without... ugh... seeing my mother." Soler was struggling, sinking down and falling from the desk, gripping it with his last strength by his fingers.

He was about to lose hope, about to slip off the counter and probably be wheeled away again when a pair of familiar hands grabbed his.

"He's with me." Shadow hoisted his arm over his shoulder, helping him to stand.

"T-...Thank you, Shadow..." Soler weakly stated, as Shadow shook his head.

"By this time, you've thanked me more than I care to keep track of." He headed towards Sophia's room, "Sally's already here, she just came in."

"She is..?" It was surprising to hear, but walking into the room, he saw Sally holding Sophia's hand by the hospital bed, and then looking over to smile gently to Soler.

"She wanted to see her." Shadow whispered quietly as an aside, but didn't move his head to Soler, hoping he heard without Sally picking up on their conversation.

"She'll be in critical recovery for a while... she's malnourished and clearly weak, but she's got a high likelihood of making it." Sally gave him that hope, that was enough to sustain him for now. She probably didn't hear Shadow, but that was the least of his worries right now.

"And... umm..." He couldn't remember the other man's name, "What about my brother?"

"Shay Stratus," Shadow began, "Which... is your last name, apparently."

"I don't think I'll take it." Soler pushed off of Shadow's arm lightly, trying to get his barrings and reaching for Sally. She got up instinctively and helped him to sit next to her, gently placing him to rest and get on the bed to sit in front of her and beside his mother.

"You don't have to worry about your brother." Shadow showed his wrist, his limiters off. "I've dealt with him. He was still alive and well, kicking back by trying to capture some fleeing citizens. We've detained him... but..." Shadow revealed that his back had been scarred and torn up. "He's a lot to handle, I think you drained most of him..."

Soler gasped slightly, "But... your healing abilities..."

"Aren't kicking in like they should." Shadow admitted, then took a deep breath, "I was trying to get out when I saw you barely able to stand at the counter," He folded his arms, "Sally apparently had me stationed here." He glared at her, and she just shook her head, defiantly.

"You were injured. Both of you need to learn to rest more."

"...Conor... w-won't... rest."

The three all suddenly turned to Sophia, who was weakly coming too.

She reached her hand out, patting it gently by the bed as Soler took it.

"S-Shay..?" Her eyes looked hazy, as though she couldn't really see through them at the moment.

"...Still bad." Soler stated, "But at least we've... somewhat, got him." Soler looked to Shadow, but Shadow would be fine, showing that by rotating his shoulders back and standing up straighter. "Just worried about you, is all."

She smiled weakly, breathing irregularly as Sally got up and adjusted the medication. "She really needs rest..." Sally urged, trying to have Soler understand that he needed to coax her back into sleep.

"I knew... this day... would come." She weakly spoke, barely lifting her eyes as she tried to breathe better.

"This isn't the day you die." Sally comforted, then looked to Soler with narrowed eyes, as though encouraging him to give her some hope to keep fighting.

Soler nodded, bending down by his mother's side and placing both hands around her own, frail one. "I just met you... but I feel I've always known you... because a huge part of you... is also in me, too." Soler finally felt comfortable with this, and continued, "I vow, mother... On the ever-free skies... on your behalf... I'll make sure to never forget the fight for freedom. That it's within liberty of the all-encompassing, continuous stretch of blue that gives everyone that right. I will fight against the grey cloud of tyranny, whether that be by the Eggman Empire or through my father and brother..." He looked down, squinting his eyes as he wondered if his father was the one possessed with chaos energy, and if so, he was certainly going to be a hard fight... "I won't let you down."

Slowly blinking her eyes, it was clear the medicine was kicking in for Sophia Stratus. She nodded twice, and then her head fell back and she was out like a light.

"...Mom?" Soler leaned forward, but Sally placed a hand on his shoulder, comforting him that she was alright.

"See that?" She pointed to the heart monitor, "She's a strong woman, though she doesn't appear to be so now, she's a lot like you." Sally grinned at the thought, but Shadow only tsk'd.

"Stubborn and full of emotions." Shadow shook his head, but Soler only smiled to his mentor.

"I thought that stubbornness was from you, good to know it's more than that." he joked, "More so hereditary."

"It's still me." Shadow returned the humor, which surprised Sally and Soler, who suddenly lightly shared a moment of laughter.

Even Shadow... smiled.

Within prison though, Sonic seemed to badger and hound on Shay...

He walked with a playful bounce in his step, "Looks who's on the other end now, eh?" He had previously just freed many held hostages, and was in the mood to pick a fight. He lifted his leg and put his hands on his hips, swinging the leg to the side and bouncing again, "Sucks when your freedom is taking away, ain't it?"

Shay just sat in the back, his head down and covered in shadows, leisurely sitting with that creepy smile of his.

He began to slowly laugh, and wouldn't respond right away.

"Bring me my dear brother... and my mother, if she's still alive." He tilted his head up, showing his eyes full of chaos energy, blinding the room in light before it faded from his eyes... his aura spiked increasingly and Sonic stopped joking... watching in all seriousness. "I'll be happy to chat, but under those conditions... This cell is rather lonely, might as well have some entertainment to pass the time." He laughed manically and held up his hand, having stored chaos energy after Shadow's fight with him and lightning shot from his hands, forcing Sonic to back away as the bars got charged with it's powers.

The room exploded as Sonic took off to avoid the explosion, "He doesn't like playing nice or fairly, but that doesn't mean he needs to act all high and mighty about it." He sped back, mostly talking to himself, and noticed the cell still remained.

"Tsk," Shay grimaced, seeming disappointed. "You have the means to stop chaos?"

"We have this room super-juiced with Chaos Emeralds," He adjusted his gloves, and kicked away some rubble. "You're not leaving that cell..."

"Chaos... Emeralds?" Shay's eyes widened, as though knowing something...

Sonic didn't know...

"Interesting... hahaha!"

Sonic just watched... frowning and narrowing his eyes. His frown carried to the side of his muzzle, and he rolled his eyes, "Why do I always end up with the weirdos who are losing their minds?"

He walked out as Shay continued to laugh and store chaos within himself... now having an idea...

END of part 1?

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