Here I go again, fucking up the Sonic universe entirely.
Desperation
It gets so lonely up here. So desolate.
There are animals of course, but you can't really talk to animals. You can merely study them. Admiration seems to fit.
I love animals almost more than mobians. I used to love them a lot more, but after so many years of solitude I need someone. Someone to spend my days with. Someone I can bring to my island with me, to spend eternity with in solitude. A woman, more specifically.
You have most likely guessed right by now. Yep, another run of the mill love story; a lonely person pining away for an extension to his life. Over exaggerated feelings of self-hatred and worthlessness. Come one, come all. Watch this washed up, old echidna filled with self hatred for his pointless existence bitch and moan about how bad he has it. How bad his life is.
I could take it to another worn out clich?, and just do myself in. Of course, that's a pathetic cop out. Everything's been overdone, so, what do I do? Suffer through life being entirely aware of how extremely pathetic I am? No. Fuck that. Can't have it. Won't have it.
It's time to go back to Knothole.
Fuck.
Gliding takes a lot of energy out of you relatively quickly. Everyone envies me for the ability to fly around with my body. I envy them because they have big metal objects to do it for them. Go figure. No one is ever content. We all want something that we don't have, simple because we don't have it. We are a disgusting display of life. What was I talking about? Oh yeah. Gliding.
Gliding sucks because you have to stop every fifteen minutes. That's if I'm in shape. I hardly ever am these days.
I'm sitting on a large green hill, looking up at the sky. In front of me, my island blocks the sun, making it this large black lump that's glowing on the outside. Not even half way here, but I've made it over the hump. My island floats above a large canyon, so deep you can't even make out the bottom. The hardest part of this trip is making it across the gap. This takes weeks of training to do, and now I sit here on this land, looking up at my island. My beautiful island.
I'm going to miss it.
It's exactly the same as it was last time. It's exactly the same as it's always been. The same pathetic display of a defiance it always will be. Don't get me wrong, though. I'm still on their team, it's just... I don't know. Look around for yourself. You can't? Well, it's pathetic. Absolutely stupid. Hardly any security, people living in huts. Shit, they should all be in a fucking bunker, plotting the demise of a certain fat doctor that has outlived his welcome.
Actually he was never welcome. What was the point?
Oh yeah, Knothole. Glorious Knothole, in all of it's amazing stupor. Fuck this place. Yeah, I said it; that's why I don't fucking live down here. I hate this shithole. I just need to pick up a chick, and get the fuck out of here.
Robotnik is an unstoppable force. I've seen him take down a much bigger defense, yet for some reson he's biding his time. Sitting on ass. Not even attempting to just get in, and crush the system from the inside out with an army of SWATbots.
What's different this time?
Wait. Something is different. Something in the air, something on the looks of the faces of all of those around me. That false sense of hope is gone entirely. It seems I may have jumped the gun on the reading of my surroundings. People aren't lying to themselves anymore, it would seem. There's a certain cheer that was always present, especially in this part of town.
And there she was, in the center of town, sitting on a bench all by her lonesome.
"What happened here?"
The question seems to strike a chord in the vulnerable princess. She doesn't want to talk about it, but she will. She has to.
"Not here." She speaks softly, looking around her. "You never know who to trust."
This is absolutely true. You can't just say certain things out loud in public. Or maybe she just doesn't want to. Either way, I'll get to the bottom of this. I have to. I'm the protagonist, and a badass. It only makes sense.
"Where?"
She looks me in the face. Her eyes meet mine, as her hand meets her chin. She looks me up and down, as if trying to figure me out.
"My house." She replies. "Seven thirty. I'll catch you up on what you need to know. In the meantime, go find one of the empty huts at the edge of town, and make yourself comfortable."
And without another word, she slips off into the crowd.
Something's definitely wrong here in Knothole.
There's one man in Knothole I always enjoyed being around. For short increments of time, of course, but I enjoy his conversation every once in a while anyway.
"Hey Rotor."
His belly sticks out from beneath the big boxlike machine he's currently tinkering with. He rolls out on his flat surface with wheels, and looks up at me.
"Hey there, Knuckles." He wipes the sweat from his brow with a dirty, oily rag. "Long time no see. What ya been doin'?"
"Oh, not much. You know; this and that."
"Story of my life. What brings ya back ta Knothole?"
"I'm in desperate need of a lady."
"A woman? Nothin' but tits and trouble." This is accompanied with a laugh. A specific laugh that Rotor does subconsciously every time a sex joke is said within hearing distance.
"That island gets lonely."
"Oh, I see. Hopeless romantic. Why don't you put yourself to good use, and help us out? It's been raining shit here on Knothole."
"Yeah? How's that?"
His eyes widen.
"I've gotta get back ta woik. Keep in touch, Knuckles."
A drink is mixed. My favorite; white Russian. She hands me the small cup, and sits at her table accross from me. She's smoking a cigarette; something I've never seen her do.
"When did you pick up smoking? If you don't mind my asking." A bold question to ask; but is it really? Some people are just touchy about certain things.
She isn't one of these people.
"Yesterday."
"You know, you're not supposed to hold the smoke in your lungs. That's extremely bad for you."
"Let's get down to business, here."
"Fine by me. I'm just trying to help."
"Well, we have more important issues to worry about."
"Oh yeah? Where's Sonic?"
Judging by her reaction to that question, I'd wager that he has something to do with these important issues.
"That's what I wanted to talk to you about."
Bingo.
"Sonic, Bunnie, Tails and Antoine set out to do a recon mission in Robotropolis last week. They never returned."
I know where this is going.
"And we need to rescue them?"
"No."
Never mind.
"What?" I'm not so sure where this is going. In fact, it's confusing the shit out of me.
"These were delivered by an unarmed SWATbot, that we killed on sight."
An envelope lands on the table before me. What could this be? A ransom letter? What could Robotnik possibly want from them? What could he possibly need? Questions bring up more questions, and all the clues seem to point to that envelope. It seems opening it would answer some questions. Take a long sip of the delicious alcoholic beverage, and set the empty glass down hard on the table. The glass sloshes around, and I use the other hand to pick up the envelope.
It's not a letter inside, but pictures.
Sonic's insides are on the outside. His mouth wide open, same with his eyes. He was definatly screaming before he died. Arms behind his back, leaning against a wall. Disemboweled and dissembled. The picture falls to the table, with the discarded envelope.
What's left of Bunnie is a bloody trash heap, with rabbit ears. Her one good arm was detached at the elbow, and her head at the neck. I imagine this was done backwards, Robotnik being the sick motherfucker he is.
Tails was special, I guess, because his head was placed on a pike that Robotnik's holding in this third picture. He looks like a big dumb retard in mid laugh. I hate him so much.
I'm fucking speechless. What do I say to this woman? The only thing I can think to say.
"Oh my god."
I feel sick. Sick and stupid. I feel like an asshole. I feel like I'm a day late and a dollar short. I feel like... it can't be put into words.
"I don't know what to say."
"Yeah. Neither do I. That's why we are the only ones who know."
"What?"
"Yeah."
"Are you fucking kidding me?"
"No. No I'm not."
"Jesus. Why?"
"We've already established that Knuckles. Now, I told you this because I think I can trust you. Can I?"
"Yes. Of course."
"Good. I hope so."
She takes another drag of her cigarette, then puts it out on the table. I feel like a fag when this makes me cringe, but that's an oak table. Oak ain't cheap.
"Nobody can know about this." She exhales slowly. Thick smoke curls out of her mouth, and rolls up her face. "If this were to get out now we would be completely fucked."
I see where she's going with this, but it never hurts to ask. Never.
"Why?"
"Are you dumb?"
"No. I'm drunk. There's a difference."
"You had two glasses."
"You don't tell me when I've had enough."
"We're in bad enough shape as it is. Morale is very low at this point. Most everyone thinks Sonic is dead, so they want to give up. They haven't yet, but as soon as that shadow disappears, you can bet your ass that they will too."
"So what are you going to do about it?"
She's already lighting another cigarette.
"We need a team to go into Robotropolis under the pretense of saving Sonic."
"And?"
"And we make our final move. Whatever that may be."
We've moved into the living room. The mood has changed dramatically; Sally and I have started creating a wonderful, tight bond. A closeness that has never been present with anyone before. It seems like we connect on many different levels. I've never felt this way before.
"Oh fuck!"
"What?"
She's freaking out. Knocking shit all over the place she jumps on the nearest footstool, and isolates herself from the floor. She didn't hear me, I think, so I repeat myself.
"What?"
She points; a large brown spider. Fuck, I hate these things. Robots with laser guns don't even make me flinch, and yet these things creep me out more than you could possibly imagine. They have far too many legs. I don't like it. It's weird, to say the least.
I can't tell you why they bother me, they just always have. I shouldn't dwindle too much on the subject of spiders, because it isn't necessarily the point. It just leads to more important things. Basically, at this point, I need to man up, and kill the little fucker to progress any further in this relationship. A necessary milestone, if you will.
I take a step towards it, and it starts scuttling towards me. I flinch, and come to the conclusion that this fucker is big. It needs to be murdered before it can cause further disturbance. I close my eyes and blindly jump. Bring both feet down on a concentrated area.
STOMP!
I think I killed it. Lift the left foot; nothing. Right foot; nothing. Hmm. Where the fuck did the little bastard go?
"Knuckles!"
"Hm?"
"Your leg!"
"Huh?"
And sure enough, the big brown hobo spider sits nestled on my right leg.
Fuck! Knock him off my calf with my heel, and bring the left foot down on the spider, casting it into oblivion.
"Did it bite you?" She asks me softly.
"Yeah."
"Aww. I'm sorry."
"It's okay. Don't worry about it."
She cares. She actually cares. She hops down from the foot stool, and onto the couch. This is my chance, if I ever had one. I have to be smooth; real smooth. Take things slow. Enjoy the scenery, and conversation as I subtly seduce her into my arms. It's fail-safe. Fool-proof. Unfuckupable, if you catch my meaning.
Sit on the right side of the sofa. She's nestled in the middle cushion, her legs curled up beside her on her right side. I never noticed how beautiful the sweet princess was before this moment. She has a certain elegance about her; it's very hard to describe. Gorgeous in the most classical, innocent way. I can imagine our life together on my island. Free from oppression, free from the malarkey that others bring into the equation. I can see us happy. Smiling and laughing as the summer days pass. The heat can be unbearable, but she could make unbearable easy. Her smile alone is enough to distract me from my own misery, be it mental or physical.
This is love; I'm sure of it. More sure about this than I have ever been about anything in my whole life. There's a connection here; totally spiritual. It's very hard to describe this feeling; almost as if I just did a huge rail of cocaine without the numbness. The excited feeling that hasn't been felt since childhood invades my chest and stomach.
This is it. This is positively it.
She hugs her knees, and rubs her right hand up and down her calves, stopping just below her cap.
"It's so cold in here."
Scooting closer to her on the couch, I can smell her. I've never been this close to her; her scent is very subtle.
"You know, Sally." My arm snakes around her neck, resting on her tiny shoulder. "we have a lot in common, you and I"
"Is that so?" She giggles, and shifts uncomfortably in her seat.
"Yeah" Sincerity pours from my heart and soul. For sure. "Have you ever thought about forgetting your responsibilities? Living a real life?"
A moment of cold silence. Just a moment.
"What?" She seems offended.
Shit. Rephrase, rethink, retry.
"What I meant to say is" Pause, for dramatic affect. Or I'm just stalling. "have you ever thought about letting someone in?"
"What the fuck are you getting at?" Oh shit. She's pissed. I've never seen her like this. Abort plan. Stop this now. Salvage what little relationship you have left with this woman, and blame this conversation on stupidity.
"Come back to my island with me, Sally."
Fuck! Stupid!
Stupid!
Knuckles, you fucking jackass.
"You want me to drop all my responsibilities to go off to your island to fulfill your fantasies? You want me to desert all of these hopeless people, so we can go off and fuck?"
Her words sting like moonshine on an open wound. Not that I'd know what that feels like, but I imagine it would sting lots. Kind of like this.
"What kind of whore do you take me for?" She pauses only to slap me on the chest. It doesn't hurt, but the impact startles me. "You come along, pretend to be helping, pretending to be sorry, pretending to care about me in my time of need, and for what? So you can fuck me!"
At the end of her sentence, her voice breaks. She's trying so hard not to cry. I hope she succeeds.
Don't cry, please don't cry. I can't stand it when chicks cry. Especially if it's because of me, which is usually the case.
"Do you have any idea what Sonic meant to me? Do you have any idea how hard this is for me?"
I'm speechless. She's pointing at me in a threatening matter. She can't hold it back any longer, and begins to cry. Fuck. She pulls her hand up to hit me again, but stops. She turns away sobbing.
"Get out" she manages to choke out. "Get out of my room, get out of my house, and get the fuck out of Knothole. Never come back."
A sight, and a moment of silence. What the fuck is going on here?
"I said get out!" Her voice breaks again. "We don't need your help."
Okay.
Okay..
I've always had a thing for foxes, but this one... I am without words. There she sits, sporting cowboy boots, and making it look good. There she is, with those tight jeans, wrapped snugly around her ass. That big bushy white tail with the grey tip. There she with her purple T shirt on. I have to meet her, but what do I say? What can be said about a woman with such a classic beauty, yet such an erotic physique?
Down another shot of tequila. I hate that wretched drink, but it's the cheapest thing here. I live on a floating rock where money is entirely unnecessary, so I don't keep much around. Just enough to get me through a visit lasting a few days or less.
What am I still doing here? Staring at the ass of some fox I'm too chickenshit to talk to? Sally told me to leave. Maybe she's right. Maybe I should just go.
Another shot lined up before me, I close my eyes, and splash the contents of the glass to the back of my throat. Fire water seems appropriate now, because I inhaled some, and have now fallen victim to a coughing fit.
My eyes water. My breath gains a rasp, and I feel like I'm about to puke. Six shots in ten minutes isn't an intelligent thing for an inexperienced drinker to attempt. Even if one of the shots is coughed right back up. Well, mostly. Fuck, who knows?
I'm okay. I can hack it. In fact I feel great.
Liar.
I'm on the ball here. I got this shit under control. I may not feel great, but that last shot slapped on a proverbial set of testicles. A large pair, if I may say so myself. I may. I will.
That doesn't matter. So I'm walking over to this fox. I actually just stood up, and walked over to her. No plan, no idea what I'm doing. Just balls. Heavy balls.
She doesn't see me coming. This is good, because it provides me ample time to fix the 'locks, scratch my ass, and stumble without her even noticing. My balls grow with every step. Huge testicles, they are. With a little pride in my stride I make my way to the bar stool to her left.
Fuck. She notices me struggling when I get on the barstool. I can tell by her giggle. Still, this can be pulled off. I just have to be a suave motherfucker. I just have to play it smooth. Just have to corn hole it. I'm so drungkk,
Hey baby. I saw you from across the bar, and I couldn't help but saunter over here, and let my admiration for such beauty and elegance be known to you, even though I am not worthy enough to grace your presence, my fair lady.
I try to say all of that to her, but instead I just puke on her shirt. Her purple shirt, now stained with my insides. My body suddenly becomes aware of its own weight, and begins to tip backwards. Her screaming in disgust fades out as gravity takes its toll on my stupid, drunk body. I didn't even get her name.
Time slows down, and all I can think about is how much I hate myself for staining something so beautiful with something so grotesque. That, and about how I made an ass out of myself.
Mixed emotions run through my minds, as the jolt of the impact forces the air from my lungs. Good night, folks.
"Knuckles."
Fuck that. That voice should always be ignored. That one that orders you to do shit before you even wake up.
"Get up."
It's feminine, so it must be a woman. I have concluded that much. It isn't usually a woman.
"Knuckles!"
This one is accompanied by a kick to the right side of the stomach, so I decide to listen to it. Roll to the left, writhing in pain. My head is pounding, sound hurts. I'm sick to my stomach, and I hate who ever this is very much. These are the things that I'm entirely sure of.
I manage to use my knees to aide me in getting up. My palms too, those were essential. Only when my feet are flat against the rocky surface of the ground beneath me, do I see the face of my attacker.
"I thought I told you to leave, Knuckles."
Princess Sally Acorn. Still hot, after all of this. I'm so weak. I'm such a sucker in all ways. I hate me.
"You did. Don't worry."
"Than why haven't you?"
That's a damn good question. One I didn't have an answer for. I needed a miracle, and a miracle I got.
Gunshots catch our attention.
An angel. My angel, falling from the sky. She just collapsed in mid air. Her wings are black, a unique angel as she is. Immediately after spotting her, I dashed towards the falling speck of godliness in the distance. It's amazing I ran as far as fast as I did. I would have given Sonic a run for his money, whatever that means.
Pure luck; that's what this was. Blindly holding my arms out in front of me, taking a leap into fate. What happens, happens. What doesn't, won't, and wasn't ever supposed to. I was supposed to catch her. Her weight collapses into my cradled arms, and it's difficult maintaining balance. Together we fall.
I use my body to protect her from harm. It's only on the ground that I get a good look at the fallen angel. It's a white bat with huge titties. I'd like to emphasize huge.
I'm so weak.
Gunshots echo in the distance behind me, and I look into the bat's face. Her eyes closed, her breathing is at what seems like a normal rate, but I'm not doctor. Her eyes ease open slowly. She looks up and smiles warmly. My heart melts. I'm hers, and no one else's.
Her head leans back, and she falls asleep in my arms.
I took her back to the hut I was staying in. Sally doesn't know whether or not I'm still here, and I don't know what could happen if she found me still loitering in this empty hut. Lay the sleeping bat down on my bed, and pull the blanket awkwardly out from under her, wrapping it around her body. My beautiful little princess. My angel sent from god.
There I stood for hours. Watching her little mannerisms while sleeping. She has that stereotypical cartoon snore. She also tosses and turns a lot.
She's my sleeping beauty. She's the extension to my life that I so desperately needed. She's everything and more. I'm completely in love with this woman, and I haven't even heard her speak yet.
"You saved me."
Her voice makes me jump. Startled, I turn around to meet her. I'm sitting at the foot of the bed she's sleeping in. Was sleeping in.
"Oh. You're awake." Turn back around and face the wall in front of me. I can feel the blood rushing to my cheeks. "Are you feeling okay?"
"Yeah." She yawns. "How long has it been?"
"Only a few hours."
"You saved me."
"Yeah."
"Why?"
"Well... I couldn't just let you die."
"No one's ever done anything like that for me before."
"It was nothing."
"Thanks."
Anything for an angel.
No problem, I say
"You can't stay here Knuckles, and neither can she."
"What? Don't make this about us, Sally."
"About us? I have to kick her out for the safety of the village, you asshole!"
"Is mindless slander really necessary, Sal?"
"Don't fucking call me that."
"Look, what's so threatening about rouge? She's thin as a rail, for god's sake."
"That's not the point. Robotnik knows where we are, you dumbass." Bitch. "We can't chance taking in any outsiders, now matter how nonthreatening they look, or how badly you would like to fuck them."
Bitch.
"You're just jealous!"
"What!"
"That's right, I said it."
Smirk at her. I've got her all figured out.
"Ugh. You are so dumb." She sighs, and rests her forehead on her palm. "You are so dumb, and you don't even know it."
"You're such a bitch, Sal."
"Don't fucking call me that!"
I can't tell if she's referring to "bitch" or "Sal", but I also can't tell you that I truly care, either. She tells me to leave, calls me stupid again, and abuses her authority so she can berate me. That fucking bitch. I told her I'd leave just to get her off my nuts, but maybe.. just maybe I should.
"You did what?"
Rotor is acting a bit more surprised than I had originally imagined.
"Called Sal a bitch. That isn't the point though, the point is it's justified."
"Did you use that name?"
"Bitch? Duh."
"No, dumbass. Sal."
Rotor, of all people, calling me a dumbass.
"Don't call me a dumbass."
"Did you?"
"Yeah. A few times, actually."
"You dumbass."
Rotor has turned into a real dick. At this point I can't really see why I ever liked him.
"Don't call me a fucking dumbass!"
"Did I strike a chord?"
"Fuck you, Rotor."
"Look, I'm just trying to help ya , there."
"By calling me a dumbass? I don't need your fucking help."
"Aren't you taking this shit a little too-"
He trails off, yammering on some bullshit about making himself look better, or something. Fuck that. We don't need these people! I came here to find a woman to take back to my island with me, and by golly I found one. I just pray to god she wants to go with me.
"Why can't we stay here? I like it in Knothole."
"I can't explain now, Rouge. It's a real dim situation we're dealing with."
"Knuckles, I'm scared. What's going to happen to us?"
Us. That means we're a team. I can't help but stall with those words floating in circles around my head.
"We can go to my island. I don't even live here, I was just visiting."
I look over to her, sitting on the edge of my bed with a frightened look on her face. I stride to the bed, and take a seat next to her.
"Will you come with me?"
She looks disappointed. Suddenly it becomes clear; a life with me wouldn't really be life. It would be purgatory. I hate myself. I wish I would die. Why did I even ask. A piece of shit never gets... kissed?
Ooo, this is nice.
"Can we camp here for the night?"
"Camp? We could make the trip by sunset."
"Oh, come on!" She gives me those cartoon sad puppy eyes. "Please?"
I can't say no. No way, no how. I'd feel like a total dick.
"Sure" I tell her, and plant a kiss upon her soft lips. "Anything for you."
She smiles. The smile is kind of.. odd. I don't know why, but it scares me. It passes quickly, however. She kisses me again, and hops away.
"Oh look! An apple tree! Let's go get some apples, and some sticks."
"Sticks?"
"For the fire, stupid."
I don't like that insult.
"I'm not stupid."
Her giggling fades as she frolics off into the distance. She's an odd individual, but I love her nonetheless. Who wants normal anyway?
Fuck that.
"Can you tell me now?"
"What's that?"
"Why we had to leave."
I'm not sure what to say. You can never be too sure where information could end up these days.
"Come on. Please? I have a right to know."
How do I say no to that? I don't.
It felt good having someone to talk to. The one person you know you can trust your shit with, because we need each other, and we're all we have.
"So none of them know their leader is dead?"
"Not leader; hero. The bitch who kicked us out is the leader."
"Is that so?"
The fire crackles before us. The dead rabbit blackens above the fire, impaled on a crudely sharpened stick that's buried in the dirt at an angle.
"Yeah, sadly"
"You're so bad, Knuckles."
"Aw, I'm just kidding."
"Tell me more."
"Hm?"
"What did that have to do with us? Why did we have to leave?"
"Well, you see, Sally's a total bitch."
"Sally?"
"Yes. Princess Sally they call her. That's not the point, though. The point is that her and I had a little fling before I met you, and her jealousy drives her to take something tragic, like the death of a hero, and use it to kick you out because of her scorn for me."
"Wow. What a bitch."
"I know, right?"
We lay on our backs, staring up at the stars. The scent of the charred remains of the wood at our feet wafts up to my nostrils every now and again. I keep thinking about her.
"They're so amazing."
"What's that?"
"The stars."
She says it like it's something I should already be aware of. It's one of my pet peeves, but she can get away with almost anything.
"Oh, right."
Like I had known before, and simply forgotten. We play these rolls over and over again.
"I don't think you appreciate how amazing these things are!"
She seems so ecstatic about it.
"Not as amazing as you."
"Oh , shut up."
Alright. If that's what you want..
The sky is blue. That's the first thing I notice when I open my eyes. The next thing I notice is the fact that I'm entirely alone in the wilderness.
Oh, god.
Where's Rouge? Where the fuck could she possibly be? I've never been afraid like this before. Not for myself, and damn sure not for anyone else. What the fuck is wrong with me?
Where could she possibly be? Where could she have gone?
How long has it been? Our fire has been doused. She left, and she took her time, but why? Things aren't adding up, this doesn't make any sense!
I scan the area for footprints. Finding people can't be too different from finding treasure, now can it? Heh...
Maybe she just went to the bathroom. Okay, yeah. I'm jumping the gun. I just need to calm down, and assess the situation.
I'll just wait here a while, and she'll come back. She has to.
Please come back...
I've been sitting here for hours. The shadows drift across the plains, as I sit here in the same spot she left me. I haven't peed or eaten. Just sitting here.
Waiting.
And waiting.
And waiting.
Waiting...
The grass is bright green. It's summer time, and the wind isn't cool and refreshing any longer. It's hot and stupid. I'm trying now, I'm really trying to distract myself.
Come back, Rouge. Please come back.
My hunger is finally getting to me. A quick venture over to the apple tree won't hurt anything. Heck, it should only take a few minutes.
Stand up and dust myself off. Shuffle my way down the rocky hill onto the soft, flat grass surface below. Across the field before me is the forest line, the apple tree isn't far from here.
The trek over to the apple tree is a five minute walk, but you can cut the time almost in half if you run. The way there, that is, but what I see next to the apple tree doesn't make me want to go back to camp at all.
What I see terrifies the shit out of me. What I see makes me confused and scared. What I see in the dirt there before me is the answer I was looking for, and the answer that I didn't want.
It was as soon as I read what was written there in the dirt, I bolted off towards my island as fast as I could, which wasn't very fast at that point.
How long had that been there? Too many things could have happened within that unidentified time limit. I don't like this one bit.
The message written in the dirt by the apple tree was a simple one. There it was in large, bold capital letters.
MEET ME AT ANGEL ISLAND
The scary part about this, is the fact that I didn't fucking tell her where Angel Island was.
My imagination running wild with all the craziest scenarios conceivable couldn't even match this. This is the worst thing that ever happened. Whoever wrote that message sure had a sense of humor.
I approach my island, or what's left of it as I watch it sink into the canyon in the distance.
Oh my god+ My home!
My home! My stuff! My life! My woman! My emerald!
Mother fucker..
What do I do now? What in god's holy name do I do about this shit?
What can I do?
My past and present sink into the depths of the canyon, leaving me with an uncertain future that scares the shit out of me. Cold and alone, once again.
But wait. What's that flying up out of the canyon?
This is it.
She dives at me with all of her momentum barreling towards me. Her head hits me in the chest, followed by a disturbing crunch. She sucker punches me, and knocks the wind out of me.
This girl is surprising me. She bites into my chest and starts scratching at my sides. Bring the bottom of my fist down on her head one, two, three times. Doesn't seem to slow her down.
My knee comes up and bounces off her tit. She recoils, writhing in mid air as I bring a right hook to her face. Teeth and blood suspended in air around us. My arm hooks around her left side, bringing her body in close to mine. She's dazed, head leaning way back. Her body, an awkward C.
Something about the atmosphere. The closeness, the violence, there was just something that snapped in both of us. She looks up at me with new eyes. Curious eyes. Just who is she, exactly?
Why are we doing this? Why are we here?
Just two soldiers fighting a war they don't understand.
No; not anymore.
The warmth of her stomach against mine, her chest can be felt as I close in. Her scent is like jasmine mixed in with something godly.
Our lips meet. The whole world just stops, right there. Eyes close, hear starts beating faster. She's snapped out of her daze. She reacts violently at first, trying to push me away, kick me from close range. She bites down on my lip.
Suddenly, we find ourselves wrapped around one another. We are one entity at this point, hungrily digging into one another. Exploration, or conquering territory?
Something very odd about the way things work out.
I'd have to say I felt a bit bad about leading Knuckles on. It was wrong of me, I know, but I'm a treasure hunter! I can't resist promise of the master emerald in exchange for going to Knothole undercover. All I had to do was seduce him and take his secrets. I didn't even fuck him.
Maybe I should have.
In this instant we embraced. Never could we possibly know the significance in all of this. We were just two animals following our instincts. Feeling each other up and down, tasting one another. Drinking one another in.
Freefalling in ecstasy. You couldn't possibly comprehend what this is like. The only thing supporting us is each other, as we become one, and fall together. This is life. This is heaven. This is god.
I found god in her body, and god feels very nice.
"It's time" he announces. This slightly startles me, sending a chill down my spine.
I never liked his voice. Especially when it sneaks up on me.
"Time for what, sir?" I stammer out, quietly. With Robotnik I always fear the worst. Time for my death, time to be roboticized, time for an uncle to nephew talk. The list of phobias is practically endless. My hatred for him just about exceeds my fear of him. What he might have in store for me. I hate him beyond words.
It's just me and him. Robotnik and I. The two of us alone in a kingdom of robots. If it weren't for those freedom fighters livening things up, I would have been dead a long time ago. Either by his hand, or my own.
"We've been playing this game with them for far too long, Snively." He states, rubbing his hands together.
Oh, god. That means I'm stuck alone with him.
This has to end, right now. Quickly scan the area for- aha! A monkey wrench.
Perfect.
Time stops with the wrench soaring through the air. Suspended in animation, everything makes sense. This was how it was supposed to happen, and no other way could properly fit quite like this.
This was the short moment the world stopped. Where nothing mattered, ever, and not one single object out of place. This could be defined as fate. This could be interpreted as an act of god. This could me misread, misjudged, and completely bungled, yet everyone still gets an A. Except Robotnik, who suddenly takes a wrench to the head, and passes out.
Does it really make sense? Does it really have to? Perhaps it will. Perhaps it won't. Things make up their own minds. Fit by their own accords.
Somehow it all works out. You'll understand.
Maybe.
Threads tear, that sound of ripping elastic making itself known above the loud blowing of the wind. How did it get this far? Hatred gives into weakness. Loneliness.
Dependency.
I can't take this. I defy myself and my people with every caress. With every good feeling, comes underlying guilt. Her pants are off, her shirt is torn, and I hate myself. Stop this, Knuckles. Stop this now. Kill this traitor, and take Knothole back from Robotnik. Give it to the people, I scream at myself.
Instead, I thrust into her. We become one. Our souls connect as we fall back to reality as a single entity.
The first thing I notice is the fact that the ground is soft, but lumpy. The second thing that comes to light is the fact that my whole body hurts.
Open my eyes, and the third thing I realize cancels the first thing I realized out, and explains the second part.
We were fucking in mid-air. We got a bit too carried away, neither one of us thought to start flying and... she broke my fall.
I'm alive. I did it.
I fucking did it!
I got laid!
Approaching Knothole, I notice a major difference in setting. Knothole isn't there anymore. It hasn't been destroyed, just completely abandoned. How could this have happened? I definitely think that Robotnik had something to do with this, and Rouge going ape shit on me.
Suddenly, someone's screaming my name, and I know the voice all too well.
"Knuckles!"
Fuck. It's her. Of course Sally Acorn, of all people would remain with a sinking ship.
"Hey, Sal."
"You fucking piece of shit" It's too late to get out of this now, she's all over my nuts. Hitting me and spitting on me? Come on, that's immature. "This is your fucking fault!"
"What do you mean?"
I'm a horrible actor.
"You're a wretched liar." She knows what she speaks of. "You told that stupid twat about Sonic being dead, and she starts running through the town telling us our savior is dead."
"Your jealousy sickens me."
"You've done some fucking stupid things in your life, Knuckles, but this is unforgivable."
"I'm not fucking stupid."
"Do you have any fucking idea what you've done to us? To yourself?"
"Of course I do, and I'm fucking sorry."
"Sorry doesn't put it back together."
"What in god's name is that supposed to mean?"
"Ugh. You are so fucking stupid. You're just as stupid as you were six years ago."
"What?"
"When you let Robotnik pump resources out of your island under the pretense of 'protecting it'" She's striking chords that I don't like one bit. "You were a stupid asshole then, and you're a stupid asshole now."
I couldn't let that go. I just couldn't let that bitch get away with it, and my fist suddenly meets her face at top speed. She's too shocked to react; she merely follows the momentum of the blow. I'm on top of her, and the beast is unleashed on her face. Her head is destroyed entirely in under a minute, leaving only a bloody mass on the ground before me. Skull and brain matter. Particles of brown fur stained in red.
Oh, god. What have I become?
Well, I guess it's time to reflect. Time for a recap, I suppose you might say. I feel pretty bad about making everyone lose hope, and abandon their dreams in search of refuge. I also feel pretty bad about beating Princess Sally to death, but she was a bitch, and I've lived through worse.
My biggest regret is losing my island. Jeez, why would Rouge do that to me? I was so sure we were hitting it off.
I have no idea what's going on in Robotropolis. It's been quiet since the dispersion. It doesn't seem like Robotnik is ever going to plan his attack.
I also feel bad about that girl I puked on. Sorry about that.
The moral? There has to be a moral to this story because I didn't die, but what would it be? I guess if I had to pull one out of my ass, it would be to stop trying to worry about everyone else. People are trouble, and that's all they're worth. You try to help someone, you get shit on. You try to love someone, you get shit on. Fuck people.
And fuck chicks, too. Nothin' but tits and trouble. Huhuhuhuhuh.
The sun's rising over the horizon. The way the dawning light hits Knothole, it manages to even make something man made look beautiful, if only for a moment. With the sun, a new beginning dawns on me, as well as a question. What now? What comes next?
Fuck... bail?