Author's Note: Hi!! I suppose you're wondering why I'm writing a prequel to my first story Black Roses, right? Especially since I released BR months and months ago. Well, let me ask you this: Why are they making a prequel to Star Wars so many years after it's release? Exactly. Besides, this'll help you to understand the story a bit better. I hope. ;p Enjoy!
Gray Roses The Roses Trilogy, Book One By: Robyn Hedgehog
The Great Unknown: A desolate, highly unexplored, barren wasteland. A place where absolutely nothing happens. That is of course, until today.
High above the desert that was called by the planet's natives, the Great Unknown, a dark swirling mass formed in the sky. It gradually grew larger, it's presence marring the cloudless Mobian blue sky. When the portal became large enough, two dark figures emerged. They floated there, surveying the vastness before them. Any other day, the two simply would have passed this pathetic planet by. But not today. They were low on energy after a recent battle on a far off planet. Though they were victorious, it had taken most of their power to defeat their opponents. The pair had heard tales that this place and its inhabitants wielded great power. Not being ones to pass up an opportunity, they decided to use what little strength they had to conquer and drain this planet of its energy. Unfortunately, they were so weak, a direct assault was impossible. But these two were not ignorant, and had another way of dealing with their situation in mind.
Meanwhile, miles away, Peter Hedgehog looked over his friends, thinking what a ragged bunch they were. A mouse, a dog with a slight limp, a rabbit, and himself, a hedgehog. There had been more, but a patrol of Hover - Units had appeared out of nowhere the night before, and had captured over half the group of nomads. Now the remaining furries were all exhausted, and rather jumpy. All except Ann, the mouse. She was just plain mad. The rodent had insisted on going to Robotropolis to free their friends, but Peter convinced her that they would never get there to rescue them before they were roboticized. The black hedgehog looked over at Ann, sitting by the stream they were resting by, and smiled. Peter had had a major crush on the mouse since he had met her. He wouldn't admit it of course. And if she knew, she didn't let on. It was just as well. Always on the run, one had little time to pursue romantic relationships. He let out a wistful sigh, and looked up at the sun. It would be a little while before they moved on, so Peter decided now would be the perfect time for an afternoon nap. Leaning against a nearby rock, Peter yawned and promptly dozed off. He would have remained like that, if not for a large shadow passing over him and the sound of his friends gasping in surprise. He sat up and gave them a questioning look, hoping to find a few answers. "P-peter," Ann started. "What?" he asked. The mouse just pointed behind him. Summoning up his courage, the hedgehog turned and saw a pair of bears...flying?! He swallowed hard, then called out to them, hoping they were friendly. They answered him, with the promise of power, and revenge against their enemies. Peter hesitated, but on the encouragement of his companions, accepted. Their surroundings suddenly melted away, leaving the furs in a place they've never been before. Looking about their surroundings, the nomads found themselves to be in what appeared to be an abandoned village in the Great Plains. "Whoa..."
"Ah come on Sal, it'll work!" "Get real Sonic. It will NEVER work!" "I bet ya it will." "I bet it won't." "I bet ya it--hey, what was that?" "What was what?" "Shh, listen." a cooing sound was heard. "That!" "Huh? Oh, that. That's just the messenger bird." Sally made her way to the nearest window, cupped her hands to her mouth, and made a cooing noise remarkably similar to the one just heard. The little bird fluttered in and landed on her arm. The princess removed the message from the tube the bird was carrying, and read it out loud as the little messenger flew off. "Sally, prisoners were brought in earlier today. They are scheduled for roboticization tomorrow night. Uncle Chuck. Sonic--" "Yeah, I know Sal. You want me to save those captured furries, right?" "No." "I--no?! What do you mean no?!" "I mean Sonic," Sally paused for emphasis, "That I don't want you to go this time." "Then who IS going?" "Robyn. She needs the experience." "Robyn? Sal, you're not seriously thinking of sending her into Robotropolis by herself are you?" though he would never admit it, Sonic dreaded going into the city alone, preferring to have at least one other with him. And he wasn't about to let his only cousin go into such a dangerous place all by her lonesome. "Of course not. I'll have Antoine and Bunnie go with her." "Oh, there's allot of comfort." "Sonic!" "Alright, alright. You want me to go get her?" "If it wouldn't be to much trouble, oh mighty warrior." Not being in the mood to argue with her, he chose to ignore her sarcasm. "Right, Sal. Back in a flash!" once he was gone, Sally shook her head, and sat down. "That hedgehog..."
Elsewhere, a black hedgehog, accompanied by a light gray mouse, made their way down a long, dark corridor. They said little; conversation wasn't really necessary at this point. Only one thing was on their minds; which was the reason the two were down there. At the end of the hallway, the mouse and hedgehog came upon a pair of oak wood doors, carved in an unusual style. Ann reached up to knock on the doors, but a booming voice from within ordered them to enter before she could. They did so, coming in only a few paces, and shutting the door behind them. Each placed a fist over their heart, and bowed slightly. "You requested our presence, my lord and lady?" "Yes, Peter. We have a job for you both." the female bear, known as Katherine, said in that melodic voice of hers. Above the two bears, the images of three furries appeared. Donovan, the other bear, spoke. "You are both aware that our energy reserves are low, and are in desperate need of recharging." this was a statement, not a question. "Katherine and I have devised a way to do so. These three," he pointed up at the images of the two hedgehogs and cat floating above them, for emphasis, "wield a great deal of power." now the center image, that of a purple hedgehog, grew in size, blocking out the other two. "This one, is the weak link in the chain." the image then faded out. "Your job Peter, is to bring her here so that we may obtain her energy." said Katherine. Peter nodded. "How do want me to get her here?" he asked. "She must come of her own free will. Do whatever you must to get her here, but it must be her decision to come. Understood?" "Understood, sire." Temporarily forgetting her place, Ann spoke up. "Hey, what about me?" she inquired in a somewhat plaintiff voice. "I would heavily advise you remember your position before you make such an outburst again." Katherine said with acid in her voice. In a more agreeable tone, she continued. "Your assignment, Ann, is to keep in constant contact with Peter, and report anything of importance to us." "Peter, you will return here in a hour for further instruction. You leave tonight." "You both have your assignments. Now go!" Bowing once more, they left as quickly as they dared, not wanting to share company with two with such unpredictable, and dangerous personalities any longer than necessary.
Early evening found Peter prepared to leave, and saying goodbye to the friends that had come to see him off. "So where ya headed first, Pete?" Ann asked. "Ann, my name is Peter." he said a bit irritably. "Yeah, right, whatever. So where ya going?" Peter gave her one of his classic annoyed looks before he answered. "I'm going to Robotropolis first. My objective is a Freedom Fighter, so I might find her there." "Robotropolis? Ya think that's a good idea, Pete? What if you're caught?" she questioned, knowing full well that when it came to fighting, the hedgehog was less than spectacular. "It's Peter. And yes. I'm not Mobius' greatest fighter, but I am a good shot with a laser pistol. I'll be fine." he said. "Now, if you'll excuse me," said Peter as he picked up his backpack full of supplies. "I've a date with a Freedom Fighter."
In Knothole, the Freedom Fighters sat waiting impatiently for Sonic to return with the information from Uncle Chuck. "I'm back!!" Sonic announced as he came to a screeching halt in the War Room. "So what did you find out?" Sally asked. "They're being held in cell block D. There aren't many guards, so gettin' in should be a piece of cake." "Anything else?" "Yeah, turns out some of those furs did allot of damage to the roboticizer, which'll probably take a couple of days to fix." Sonic reported. "Great! That'll buy us some time." Robyn stated cheerfully. "Not much, I'm afraid. We may only get a one shot at this." the squirrel said, not even bothering to look up from her tiny handheld computer, Nicole. The purple hedgehog's cheerful expression vanished, and was replaced by a look of dismay. "So what's the plan?" Looking up from Nicole, Sally smiled, and proceeded to explain her proposed plan of action.
Peter walked among the tall grasses of the Great Plains in the fading light of summer twilight. He traveled light, carrying only the barest necessities. He knew it would be dark soon, too dark to travel. He should probably make camp while it was still light. The black hedgehog tramped along a little further then decided it was pointless to go any longer and set up a small, temporary, encampment. Once he was finished, and had some dinner, Peter reached into his pack and pulled out what looked like a wristwatch. And in fact, that's what it was. However, this particular timepiece did more than count the seconds. If one looked closely enough, they would find a small button on the side that if pushed, would reveal a tiny monitor and speaker. Pressing a few buttons inside the hidden compartment of the watch, the screen crackled to life, the image of a familiar face appearing. "Pete!" Ann exclaimed happily. "What's up?" "Ann, my name is Peter. Not Pete." he said calmly, trying not to let his annoyance show. "Sure, whatever. So, what's your progress so far?" she inquired. "It's good. I figure it'll take me a day of hard travel to reach Robotropolis. If I don't find anything there, I'll move on." he reported. Frowning, the mouse asked "Are you SURE you want to start in Robotropolis? I mean, what're the odds you'll find her there?" "Oh, for the last time Ann, yes! I told you she's one of those Knothole Freedom Fighters. Besides, even if I don't find her there, I can at least dig up some information on her." he explained, slightly exasperated. "Oooh, fine. Listen, I've got to go. Anything else you need to tell me?" "Nope, that's it. G'night Ann." "Night Pete!" and with that, the mouse cut the transmission. Grumbling, the hedgehog closed his communicator, strapped it onto his wrist, and pulled his glove down over it. Then with a yawn, he slipped into his sleeping bag, and promptly fell asleep.
It was just before dawn the following morning, and Robyn was lying under a tree near the power ring pool, watching the sunrise. She had woken not too long before with an eerie feeling. It was something she'd been doing for the past couple of days. Now here she was, thinking about what she was going to do later that evening. It was a simple mission into Robotropolis; get in, free the prisoners, and get back out again with out getting caught. She'd done it a million times before. Yet she felt there was something different about this time. Sure, Sally had put her in charge of the whole thing, but then the princess had given her command over dozens of small raids in the city previous to this. So why did it feel different? The spy network in Robotropolis had reported several changes in the normal routine of the security patrols of Swat-bots. Perhaps that what was getting her on edge? 'Maybe I should talk to Midnight.' the hedgehog thought to herself. The midnight blue cat worked outside the spy network, and surprisingly, or maybe not so, her information was often more reliable and accurate. Well, what little information you could get out of her, that is. The feline was sometimes a bit stingie when it came to divulging knowledge, and she often left out small, but important details. Still, Midnight was a good friend, and almost always had a handle on most everything going on within the polluted city. Rising, the hedgehog inhaled deeply, and stretched. She had allot to do today, no sense wasting the whole morning lying under a tree.
"Finally," Peter breathed. "I finally made it." the hedgehog stood on a small hill over looking Robotropolis. He had broke camp, and started out for the city around dawn. Traveling light had proved beneficial, for he had reached his destination far earlier than anticipated. Readjusting his backpack, the black hedgehog hiked down toward the metropolis, somehow knowing the one he sought would be there.
In Knothole, Bunnie, Antoine, and Robyn were preparing to leave for Robotropolis. None of the three were particularly worried about this little jaunt (well, except maybe Antoine). After all, it was a just simple mission into the home of their worst enemy, right? "Ready to go, guys?" the purple hedgehog asked, slinging her backpack over her shoulder. "Ready as evah, sugah." Bunnie replied. "Yez, I am alzo being ready." answered the french fox. "Let's go th-" Robyn was cut off by a sonic boom. It was Sonic. The blue hedgehog came to a screeching halt in front of the three Freedom Fighters. "Hi guys." "Hi Sonic. Wha'cha need?" "Nothin. Sal just wanted to know when you guys are leavin." "Actually, we were just about to go." "Alright. Be careful out there, kay Rob?" he said, trying and failing to hide some of the worry he had for his cousin. "Sonic, you worry to much sometimes, you know that?" she asked teasingly. Then she noticed the serious look on his face. "I'll be careful." she promised. "Just don't do anything I'd do." Sonic said with a grin. "Not a problem, cousin. See ya later." and with that, the purple hedgehog walked off, Bunnie and Antoine following after saying goodbye to their friend. Sonic watched them go, looking unusually thoughtful. And as he stood there, he wondered if he really would see her again.
To be continued in Black Roses, the Roses Trilogy Book Two.