"I can't believe how many... Children were caught in the crossfire..." The governess said in disbelief. Tears stained her cheeks for the fallen child.
"Neither can I." Said the professor, who stood in front of monitor upon monitor of computers. "But with the hospital gone, and casualties coming in by the dozens, we can't focus on that."
The hedgehog let a sigh escape his lips. He turned to her. "It's what I feared. The damage is too severe. She's not going to survive the night." He said, glancing down at the unconscious rabbit.
"There has to be something we can do!" She exclaimed. "She's just a little girl!"
"She would..." He mumbled. "Well, we do have one option. I haven't used it on any Mobians yet, but it can save her."
"On Mobians? Sir, what exactly is this thing?" She asked, clutching her hands to her chest.
The hedgehog gingerly picked up the injured rabbit. "Stay quiet and follow me." He said. "We can't risk Eggman finding this thing."
The woodchuck watched as the professor clicked a button and snuck out of the main lab. The two hurried down the hall, the sound of footsteps clicking against the floor.
Badniks had been peppered throughout Knothole's medical centre. With the sick and wounded left to fend for themselves as Badniks patrolled the hallways and rooms. The two hurried outside the building and out to the fields. "Professor," Rosie gasped as they hurried through the fields of Knothole. The hedgehog slowed down in front of a cottage. He handed off the child to the governess, knocking in the door and hurrying inside.
"Hurry!" He said as Rosie rushed inside, the child in her arms. He slammed the door of the cottage, barricading it behind him. "Follow me."
The hedgehog and the woodchuck hurried down the hallway and through a secret passage of the residence. He input his fingerprints and scanned his retinas before he was granted access.
The woodchuck gasped as she saw what she couldn't believe: a huge machine with a dome over top it. She'd seen it before, in blueprints around the castle.
"Sir, you cannot mean-"
"It's the only way we can save her." The professor said as he furiously worked on the machine. "Rosie, she does not have time. If we want to save her, we need to start now."
The governess glanced down at the child in her arms. Her face had been contorted in pain, tears still fresh on her face. Her clothes were dishevelled and her body had been battered and bruised from being blown away by her close proximity to the hit zone.
Rosie let out a sob before clinging to the child. "I am so, so sorry, my dear." She gasped.
"Rosie!" Chuck hissed, his voice above a whisper. The whirr of the Roboticizer became deafening. His eyes narrowed as the governess collected herself as she handed the child over to him. She gingerly brushed away the tears on the child's cheeks before nodding and breathing out the words, "Do it".
She awoke without any recollection of the night before. She felt pain surge her body as she attempted to move. Her eyes adjusted to the dim lighting of the room. As she took its features, she realized that it was not just a room; it was in fact a laboratory. She saw a hedgehog staring at a computer monitor, stroking his chin. She attempted to get up, but instead, let out a stifling cry. His head whipped around.
"You're awake!" He exclaimed, hurrying over to her. The rabbit felt odd, or rather, out of place. She was a normal child, who played and had normal tea parties with her normal friends. But this was not normal at all.
"Easy, easy." He cooed, as she struggled again to sit up. "You've been through a lot, dear. You need to rest."
"What?" She asked in confusion. The hedgehog's eyes widened before glancing down to her body. Her eyes followed before she let out a loud sob. She had lost majority of her limbs. Both her legs and her left arm had been replaced with shiny, clunky cybernetics.
"Oh mah stars!" She cried out. "What... What happened to me?"
The hedgehog gently pat her back, whispering that it was going to be all right. The young rabbit sobbed as a woodchuck came rushing inside, clutching her to her chest.
"Dear, you were caught in the crossfire when Dr. Eggman attacked Mobotropolis." The hedgehog said. "Your body wouldn't hold on much longer, and I made the decision to use cybernetic enhancements to help heal them."
The rabbit paid no attention to his words, only sobbing as her eyes met the shiny exterior of her new limbs. "Oh mah gosh..." She gasped. "Ah'm a freak..."
Rosie attempted to console the little girl, but to no avail. Every time she thought she had slowed the crying some what, she would begin to sob again.
"Rosie," a voice said. "Why she crying?"
The rabbit looked up to see a small chipmunk, dressed in teal. A tiara held her burgundy hair back, and a jewel adorned her neck. She stood in the door way of the laboratory with a look of worry upon her face. She clutched a small, grey device in her right hand, her left knotted into a tiny fist.
"Princess, now is not the time. How about you and NICOLE go back to the den while I-" The Woodchuck started.
But before she could finish, the royal child had hurried over to the young rabbit. She bowed her head slightly, curtseying. "Hello. I'm Princess Sally Alicia Acorn, but you can call me Sally."
"Princess, this is not the time." Rosie sternly stated.
The rabbit crying slowed as she glanced at the chipmunk. "It's okay. We're safe here." She promised. The chipmunk reached out to the rabbit, resting her hand on her cybernetic forearm. "What's your name?"
The rabbit sniffled. "Mah name's Bunnie."
"Bunnie?" Sally asked. "That's a cute name! Can I call you Bunnie Rabbot?"
The rabbit caught the princess's joke. She nodded before giving a small chuckle. "Uh huh." She said.
Rosie glanced at the two girls who had only just met. They looked as though they'd been friends for years, instead of having known each other for only two minutes. The chipmunk told a joke, causing the rabbit to giggle loudly.
Chuck moved closer to Rosie, staring in awe at the chittering girls. "Do you believe this?" The hedgehog asked. "No." Rosie shook her head, a thin smile creeping across her lips.
The weeks had flown by and the situation in Mobotropolis had worsened. The doctor had taken over the city and levelled it, recreating it to become his new base of operations, Robotropolis. He set up chapters of his own militia known as "Egg Bosses" all over Mobius. Some were forgiving, while others... Were not as much.
With the world slowly adjusting to the new regime, Knothole found more and more Mobians coming and going. Most were refugees who had fled other zones and found sanctuary in Knothole's hidden abode.
Among them were the Crown Princess and heir to the Throne of Acorn, Sally, and her governess, Rosie the woodchuck. Alongside them was the apprentice swordsman Antoine D'Coolette, and the talented mechanist, Rotor Walrus.
While her orders had been to protect the Princess and ensure her proper upbringing, Rosie neglected them. She was aware that both Antoine and Rotor were unaccompanied minors, and that Bunnie's parents had most likely gone missing or become victims of the Mobotropolis raid. Knowing this, the Governess contacted the King Acorn, letting him become aware of what she was doing. With Eggman's invasion, he had much more to worry about and let Rosie go forth. The Governess took the four under her care.
It had been over a month since Bunnie's roboticization. Since then, she had been transferred to a wheelchair. She had been able to leave Chuck's laboratory and to move to the home of the Princess and her Governess.
She had very easily grown used to gripping and holding items in her cybernetic hand. To help her fingers stay active and moving, Rosie had taught Bunnie how to style hair, to which she was ecstatic upon learning, as she styled her best friend's hair every morning.
Chuck had urged Bunnie to start moving around, but the second she stood on her own two feet, she would cry out in pain. She had still not grown used to her new legs.
"She needs to start trying," the professor said impatiently as he stood with Rosie, looking at the four children playing.
Well... Bunnie moved as much as she could in her wheelchair, but without the use of her legs, she couldn't join in on the games of kickball, tag and hide and seek.
"It will be hard, but she can do it. She's come this far." Chuck said, observing the group of four. The woodchuck glanced at the rabbit, laughing as her friends chased each other around. "I'll encourage her. Just give me time, sir."
The governess kept to her word. The next morning, while Antoine went for training with the royal Guard and Rotor messing about with Chuck in the labratory, Rosie had set Bunnie up in the living room of the cottage. "All right Bunnie. We're going to try getting up today." She said in a soft voice.
The rabbit's eyes brightened in determination. "Okay, Miz Rosie." She said.
Rosie knelt down to Bunnie's level and moved her small feet, flipping the foot rests of the wheelchair out of the way of the child. "Take a deep breath." She said.
Bunnie sharply inhaled, gripping Rosie's outstretched hands. "Slowly now." She said. "We'll do this together."
The rabbit slowly began to rise, her hands digging into Rosie's. She stifled a sob. "You're doing great, darling!" Rosie cheered as she watched Bunnie's feet meet the ground. Her legs straightened a little before she fell back into her wheelchair. She let out a cry. "It hurts so much, Miz Rosie," The rabbit said breathlessly.
The woodchuck gently rubbed Bunnie's back. "You're doing great, Bunnie. I'm proud of you." She said.
The rabbit wiped away her tears before gripping Rosie's hands. For two hours, the rabbit practiced getting up and down. The woodchuck was astonished by her determination. By the end, she had been able to stand by herself, albeit a little wobbly.
"You're doing great, Bunnie." Rosie gently praised. Bunnie wiped away her now joyful tears as she looked to the governess. "It's mah second chance, and ah don't wanna waste it, Miz Rosie." The rabbit said, determined. "Ah'm gonna use it to mah advantage."
"I'm sure you will," Rosie said before flipping the foot rests back into place on Bunnie's wheelchair. "Now, let's get you something to eat and drink. That was a lot of hard work."
Not long after relearning how to stand and keep her balance while stationary, Bunnie had begun to learn how to walk once again. Rotor Walrus had created a set of bars to help Bunnie keep her balance. Once it had been constructed and finished, it was time for the rabbit to test it out.
"Okay Bunnie, ready?" Rosie asked. The rabbit nodded as the hedgehog flipped the foot rests of the way of the cybernetic child.
"Nice and easy, dear." Chuck said, as he straightened up to stand in front of Bunnie. Bunnie slowly rose out of her chair, gripping the bars tightly. She stumbled at first, causing both the hedgehog and the woodchuck to lurch her direction. "Don't rush, Bunnie." Rosie said. "You have time."
The rabbit kept quiet as she let out a breath. She reached forwards with one hand and slowly stepped forwards. Uncle Chuck remained in front of her the entire time, ready to catch her if she faltered.
Upon her third lap, the professor forced her to take a break, where Rosie gave her a drink of water and much praise.
"Ah wanna try without your help, Uncle Chuck." Bunnie said, as she looked up to the hedgehog.
He shook his head. "Absolutely not. You've just begun walking again."
"But Ah want to!" The rabbit said, defiantly. Her small hands knotted into fists, hitting against the arm rests of her wheelchair. Her eyes widened in begging as the hedgehog shook his head. "Soon. But not now."
The rabbit pouted before stating that she wanted to try walking again. She returned to the bars, determination burning like a fire.
The following day, the rabbit continued her trek across the five metre bar. Rosie followed her for most of her run. "Excellent work, Bunnie!" She said as the rabbit approached the end of the bar and sat down in her wheelchair.
Suddenly, from outside, a loud noise boomed through Knothole. "What on Mobius was that?" Rosie asked.
The young rabbit shrugged before Rosie tsked loudly. "I'll be right back. I'd better make sure it wasn't Rotor playing with Chuck's power tools again..."
The rabbit waited until the woodchuck had cottage the door behind her before getting up. She sucked in a breath, placing her hand out in front of her. She clutched the bar as her foot touched the ground. She began to walk slowly, her body lurching forwards.
"Oh mon dieu!" A voice cried.
The rabbit jumped causing her to come crashing onto her bottom. She let out a cry before bringing her legs close to her body.
"Are you all reight?" The voice came closer. Bunnie glanced up, seeing the foreign apprentice hurrying over to her. He held out his hand to help her up. "Zat was quite the, how you say, tumbler you took. I am zorry if I frightened you."
The rabbit took his hand, gently, helping her to her feet. "It's okay," she said, wiping at her watery eyes. "Ah shouldn't have even been trying without someone watching me. It coulda been a lot worse."
"I can stay if you want to keep tryeng?" He offered. The coyote held out his hands to her, giving a wide smile.
Bunnie gripped the bars at her sides. "Nah sugah," she said with determination. "Ah can do it on mah own."
The coyote cleared the way of the cybernetic rabbit. He stood on the opposite side of the bar, watching as her body lurched forwards. Her steps were wobbly and awkward. Bunnie felt a little embarrassed that she looked like a toddler walking for the first time, especially in front of another Mobian that wasn't Uncle Chuck or Rosie.
"Magnifique!" He chimed as she reached the end of the bar. "Belle femme, vous faites très bonne!"
"What now?" Bunnie called as she swiveled her body to walk back to her chair.
The coyote placed his hand on hers and gently patted her back. His face came down to meet hers. "I zaid, 'beautiful lady, you are doing very good'!" He said.
Bunnie's face curved into a tired smile as he gave her hand a pat.
The door to the cottage creaked open as Uncle Chuck entered the cottage. His arms were crossed over his chest, and he bore his usual unimpressed expression. The two glanced towards the door as he walked inside. "I see you've made a friend," Chuck remarked. The hedgehog had walked up to the opposite side of Bunnie. The rabbit smiled and nodded before glancing to Antoine. The coyote blushed, his gaze cast away from her and professor.
"Antoine, aren't you supposed to be practicing?" The hedgehog asked as the coyote smiled sheepishly. "I... Uh... Le bruit m'a fait peur..." He said quickly. "But I have come to, how you say, 'cheer on' my new friend!"
Chuck shook his head as he helped the rabbit back to her wheelchair. "What am I gonna do with you…" He grumbled under his breath.
As the weeks passed, Bunnie no longer needed the bar to walk. She found herself being able to walk without any assistance, although it was still a little painful. Yet the thing that annoyed Bunnie the most was her newfound clumsiness. Her new feet and legs were much chunkier. She constantly found herself tripping over her oversized feet and repeatedly cursed herself for doing so.
She worried that Eggman's Badniks would swarm Knothole, and that her loud, clunky feet would give away her location. She feared that Badniks would take Sally and Rosie away and force her to join the Egg Army.
"Oh Sallygirl," Bunnie mumbled as she watched the Princess practically glide across the living room floor. "Ah feel just like a bull in a china shop whenever Ah walk..."
The chipmunk placed a hand on Bunnie's shoulder. "You'll get used to it, Bunnie." She said. "The Professor said that it's just a matter of time, remember?"
"But can Ah do anything to stop it?" The rabbit asked.
"Well, did you ever dance?" Sally asked.
Bunnie's eyes brightened. "Oh yes! Ah used to hoedown and dosey-doe all the time with mah friends!"
Sally looked quizzically at her friend. "I mean actual dancing." She said. "Like the waltz, y'know? Ballroom dancing...?"
"Ooh, you mean with the dresses and the shoes and the big bands?"
"Yes."
The rabbit shook her head. "Ah never did any of that,"
"Well there's always time to try!" Sally said, clapping her hands together. "Rosie said its how queens learn to look like they're stepping on clouds!"
'Stepping on clouds...?' The rabbit thought. She thought of gently gliding everywhere she went instead of falling on her bottom almost every step she took.
"Do you know how to?"
"Yes, but I haven't done any in years. And I only know how to follow when dancing." She said before thinking for a moment. The princess snapped her fingers together. "I know! I'll check with Antoine! He asked me to dance at spring cotillion! He must know how to ballroom dance!"
The rabbit thought back to her first time walking without anyone watching her, and when he came in. "The boy from overseas, right?"
"Yes," Sally said she made a fist with one hand and punched it into the other. "He must know! I'll ask him and then you can learn to walk better!"
The rabbit looked at her friend, eyes glimmering. "We could even try and fix Daddy's kingdom, and stop Dr. Eggman!"
Before Bunnie could say anything, Sally had upped and left the cottage, hurrying out to Sonic's, knowing that the boys would be hanging out. Sally knocked on the door, waiting as Sonic answered. "Hey Sal, what's up?"
"I was wondering if I could talk to Antoine for a moment?" She asked, glancing over his shoulder. Antoine was sitting on the floor with Rotor Walrus. The three had been playing some sort of card game. Antoine blushed before scrambling to his feet.
"Yeah, I guess." Sonic said with a smirk. "But wouldn't you rather-!"
"Bonjour ma princesse!" Antoine greeted as he pushed Sonic out of the way. "How may I be helpings you today, hmm?"
"Bonjour Antoine. I was wondering if we could speak outside?" Sally cheerily asked.
Antoine shot a smirk at Rotor and a very jealous Sonic. "Of course, ma chére."
The coyote quickly followed the chipmunk outside, combing back his hair and straightening his béret. He turned back to the smiling princess with a flirtatious smirk on his face. "Zo Sally, what iz being up?"
The princess began to walk towards the direction of her cottage. "Well, I was wondering if I could ask a favour of you," She said. "it's been a while since I've danced, and I have a friend who needs to learn."
"Oui?"
"I was hoping that you'd be able to teach Bunnie how to dance?"
The soldier's face fell as the princess went on: "She's having trouble adapting to her new limbs and dancing would help her learn some grace again. I know that you're an excellent ballroom dancer, and I'm sure you'd make a wonderful teacher!"
Antoine put on a hopeful smile. "Ah, Bunnie... She was just outfitted with ze robotics, oui?"
"Oui," Sally nodded before taking his hand. "It would mean the world to me if you'd help her!"
The coyote blushed profusely before clearing his throat and straightening up, putting on a smirk. "Of course, ma princesse!" He saluted her. "Tell Miss Bunnie that I will be prepared to teach her tomorrow afternoon, oui?"
The princess smiled. "Thank you so much!" She said before giving his hand a squeeze and hurrying soldier gave a dazed smile before waving goodbye to the princess. He let out a sigh before traveling back to Sonic's home.
"All right, let's get you ready!" The Princess exclaimed as she guided Bunnie into their bedroom.
"Ready?" The rabbit asked, gawkily teetering on her feet.
Sally nodded. "There's a code for ballroom dancing," She said, taking the rabbit's hand and seating her in front of the small vanity.
The princess glanced at the rabbit's one piece bodysuit. "Your outfit is fine..." She murmured.
"What would be wrong with mah outfit?" Bunnie asked self-consciously. She twisted and turned to view herself, Sally circling her. "Hmm, your hair will be an issue." She said.
"Mah hair?" Bunnie asked, reaching up to brush her fringe.
Sally reached into one of the drawers and grabbed a hair tie. "Your hair could get pulled by accident." Sally said, gently pulling her friend's hair into a long ponytail. "It's just more comfortable for both partners."
"Oh… Ah suppose so..." Bunnie murmured.
"Ooh!" Sally said as she grabbed two ribbons from another drawer. "You'd look so pretty with ribbons on your ears!" The chipmunk tied the small pink ribbons on top of the rabbit's ears, smiling at her.
"You look cute!" Sally said as Bunnie glanced at herself in the mirror. "We should go over greeting real quick, just to be safe..."
The chipmunk helped her friend up, guiding her to the centre of the bedroom, facing her. "Now, when greeting your partner, a lady always curtseys." Sally said as she took the edges of her teal shirt in her hands. She set her left foot in front of her right, bending slightly. "A gentleman will always bow and then they agree to dance."
"Okay, so," The rabbit said as she set one clunky foot in front of the other. She stumbled at first before regaining her balance and curtseying properly. "Was that right?"
"Exactly!" The princess said as she cleared her throat. "Now, let's role play. I'm a gentleman and you are the lovely Bunnie."
"Okay..." Bunnie said as Sally pulled her fur into a messy bun and cleared her throat. She pulled a strand away and pursed it between her upper lip and nose, creating a mock mustache. She hurried to the corner of the room before striding over to the rabbit. "Excuse me, Miss," Sally said in a deep voice, making Bunnie hold in her laughter. "Might I have this dance?"
"'Course, sir!"
Sally bowed as Bunnie took her curtsey. "Excellent!" Sally exclaimed. "The rest is up to Antoine!"
"Right," The rabbit said as Sally clapped her hands. "We'd better clear the living room out, or else you'll be dancing nowhere."
As the rabbot moved the furniture and cleared the floor, the Princess set up NICOLE, whose mobile unit would play music for the dance.
"Are you sure you wanna leave NICOLE here?" Bunnie asked as she lifted Rosie's rocking chair with ease. With her new cybernetics came new strength, something that Bunnie didn't mind about.
"I'm sure you'll take good care of her." The Princess said, as she closed NICOLE's lid and smiled at Bunnie.
A second later, there was a knock at the door. Sally hurried over to it, greeting Antoine. "Bonjour Antoine!" Sally chimed.
"'Allo ma princesse," he greeted as he entered. "Allo Bunnie,"
"Howdy," Bunnie greeted.
"Well, I'll leave you two to work!" Sally said as pat Bunnie's shoulder. "Just give me a call if you need anything, I'll be at Sonic's!"
"Oui!" Antoine called as the princess exited, cottageting the door behind her.
"Shall we begin, no?" Antoine asked, the coyote walking to the living room.
"Sure," Bunnie said turning to Antoine, who extended his hand to her. He held his left hand behind his back, bowing his head. "Belle femme, may I have this dance?" He asked.
"Ah course." She said, taking his hand.
The coyote led the rabbit out to the middle of the living room. "Uh, may we have some musique?" asked Antoine.
"Oh right!" Bunnie said, clearing her throat. "NICOLE, would ya please play the music?"
"Playing Bunnie." The AI responded as the room became surrounded in sound.
Antoine cleared his throat. "You will have to forgive moi," he said. "I may not be ze best teacher."
"Well, yer doing yer best, and besides, yer helping me."
He stood up straight before clearing his throat. "We shall begin with ze waltz." He said. "First, ze gentleman and ze lady shall greet each other."
Antoine bowed before Bunnie, prompting her to curtsey. "Then, ze dancers shall take zheir places." He said. "Ze gentleman always leads, and the lady always follows."
"All right," Bunnie said as Antoine extended his hand. She took it, coming closer to him. The two stood close, Antoine straightening his back.
"Both dancers should stand straight, shoulders squared and arms relaxed." He said. "Ze dancer's right hands will meet and extend outwards. Ze lady's hand shall rest on ze gentleman's shoulder."
Antoine guided Bunnie's hand to meet his shoulder; metal meeting fur. Her eyes followed his as he nervously smiled and cleared his throat. "Ze gentleman's hand will rest on the lady's waist."
HE gently rested his hand on her waist, standing straight. "We will begin with ze box step. Zis is ze most basic step of ze waltz."
"Ze music is set in four four time. Ze time and ze steps should match up." Antoine explained as Bunnie shifted awkwardly.
"No offense, sugah." Bunnie said. "But could we get to the dancin'? I'm rearin' to go..."
"But of cours," Antoine said as he began to move his feet. "Now ze dancers must be synced perfectly. Ze gentleman will forwards and ze lady will move backwards."
Antoine moved forwards, cuing Bunnie to stumble backwards. "Bunnie, you must trust your partner, oui?" He said. "Pretend you are gliding."
"All right." She said.
"Ze first step, ze gentleman move forwards to ze lady. She will move backwards. Zhere are small closed positions in ze middle of zhis dance. After every move, zhere is a break for only a moment." Antoine said as he pulled his feet into the pause position. "My right foot moves forwards next." He said. "Zo your right foot goes back."
"All right," Bunnie murmured as she gingerly moved backwards again, wobbling slightly.
"We return to ze closed position, and zen start again, oui?" The coyote said.
"Ah think Ah got it,"
"Zen let us try it, non?"
The two began to dance, Bunnie's eyes focused on her feet. Antoine kept his eyes focused over her shoulder as she stumbled to keep the pace.
"Bonne." The swordsman said as he stopped moving, Bunnie faltering. "We will now try ze under arm turn. Ze gentleman initiates, and ze lady takes six steps, twirling in a smol zircle. Would you like to try?"
"Sure." Bunnie said uneasily.
The two started out, slowly dancing. They gracefully moved in a gentle box. When they came too close to a wall or some furniture, Antoine would pivot the two out of the way. Bunnie faltered and stumbled a little, but kept up. She kept her eyes focused on her feet, her lips murmuring "one, two, three, four" as the music played.
"Ready for ze turn?" He asked, Bunnie murmuring a 'sure' as she attempted to keep focus.
The coyote held his hand up, prompting the rabbit to begin her spin. She faltered quickly, and slammed down on her left foot, eliciting a scream from Antoine. The rabbit gasped, before apologizing profusely. "Ah'm so sorry! Ah wasn't lookin'!" She said, as she shook her head.
"Non, non," Antoine said through gasps as he collapsed into Rosie's rocking chair. "It iz all right. You are beginning, zis is normal!"
The rabbit sighed before sitting down on the ground, bringing her knees to hide her face. Antoine pulled his watering eyes away from his foot and looked to her. She murmured to herself, the coyote only catching bits of her words.
He gingerly limped over to her, sitting down. He placed a hand on her shoulder. "Bunnie, are you okay?" He asked.
"Ah just feel like such an idiot..." She mumbled. "Ah'm sorry you agreed to this."
"Bunnie," Antoine said as he patted her shoulder. "I wanted to help you. You are mon ami."
She shook her head. "Ah just feel like a failure, Antoine." She said. "Ah have to relearn things that ah should already know! Ah feel so stupid."
"But you have talents. You can lift things zat are zo very heavy! And you are kind!" He said. "Bunnie, I understand zat you feel like you cannot do anyzing right."
The coyote sighed. "Ma fathair zent me here without anyzing. He told me zat it was an honour to be here." He said. "When Dr. Eggman attacked, I ran away like the scaredy-baby-pants while Rozie and Princess Sally needed help."
The rabbit's eyes wavered up to see Antoine's face. His lips had curled into a sad smile. "I was being a coward. I couldn't even protect the girl I liked..."
"You... You like Sally?" Bunnie asked.
The coyote nodded. "But she does not... We..." He sighed. "It is, how you say, one way."
"Oh," Bunnie murmured, her eyes tearing from his. "But zat is beside ze point. When I saw you walking zo long ago, I realized zat I had taken zo much for granted."
The rabbit blushed a little as Antoine gave her a smile. "You inspired me to take action." He said, raising his hand in a fist. "And it is time zat I return ze favour, non?"
Antoine stood up and holding his hand out to the rabbit. "Will you try once more?" He asked. "Please?"
Bunnie let out a sigh. "Only 'cause you asked so nicely." She said, standing. "NICOLE, please restart the music."
The music rewound itself, starting from the beginning. Bunnie curtseyed as Antoine bowed. She took his hand as the two glided to the centre of the living room. This time, Bunnie felt that her feet had gotten lighter somehow. Antoine began to lead in the four-four box step, causing Bunnie to falter at first. She quickly caught on as the coyote lead the two around the room. They pivoted, avoiding obstacles. "Keep your eyes on my shoulder." He said. "Do not worry about your feet. Just follow my lead."
"Okay." Bunnie said as her eyes drifted up to his. They caught for a second, causing the two to slow down. Antoine tore his gaze from hers, directed back to her shoulder.
They glided around the room perfectly before pivoting again. "Ready for ze spin?" He asked.
"Ah'm ready." Bunnie said.
He pivoted and took his place, lifting his hand over her head. She cottage her eyes, gingerly twirling on the tips of her feet. She stopped right on time and returned to the box step.
"Magnifique!" The swordsman exclaimed as they continued to twirl around the living room.
Bunnie's eyes opened. "Ah did it," She gasped.
"You did great," He assured her. "Keep going!"
"Right." The southern belle murmured as they continued to dance. With every step, she felt like she was practically gliding.
"Would you like to try ze dip?" He asked.
"Sure!"
"Now it iz just like ze spin, oui?" He said. "You will twirl out wards and zen come back. When you move back, I'll dip you. You must be flexible, understand?
"Gotcha," The rabbit said as Antoine let go of her waist and spun her out. She twirled back to him a moment later, the coyote quickly dipping her down for a moment. He pulled her back up, spinning her around before returning to the box.
The song began to come to a close, the piece ending as the two slowly stopped dancing. Antoine bowed before the rabbit. Bunnie curtseyed, no longer faltering. "Thank you for the dance, Antoine."
Then, Antoine did something that perplexed Bunnie. He bent down on one knee and took her left hand, pressing his lips to it.
Bunnie blushed profusely as he stood and saluted the rabbit. "Merci, mon ami. You danced wonderfully."
She kicked the ground with her foot. "Well, I had a great teacher." She said.
The coyote gave her a smile before heading for the door. "Antoine," She called, the coyote turning to her. "Ah'll put in a good word for ya when ah see Sally next.
He smiled. "I am thinking zat will not be necessary, Bunnie." He said before opening the door. "Bonne nuit, mon ami."
"Naight Antoine," Bunnie called as the coyote left. Her steps grew light gingerly twirling and gliding across the cottage floor.
A/N:
did i ever mention that i love bunnie and twan? no? well i do. they're my little freedom fighter couple and my heart melts whenever they have exchange sappy lines in the comic. i'm just so happy that they're still canonically married after the sgw... if they weren't it just wouldn't have felt right, y'know? on the topic of the sgw... i'm really loving antoine's new palette and overall design. it just works really well! bunnie however... i'm not super ecstatic about. i really miss her old clunky limbs and cowboy hat, but regardless, i still love her. she's my lil southern belle.
long story short, i wrote this to kinda fill in the blanks on bunnie n antoine's relationship and their respective comic origins stories "little lost soldier" and "the belle in the machine" i felt like there was very little explanation on how their relationship came to be, especially since they're origins stories, but i digress. i was also curious as to bunnie and sally's friendship. since they're so close, i assumed that sally would've been there in bunnie's darkest hour... also considering that rosie was there, and she practically raised sally so yeah.
the dancing was put in bc... well why not. i mean its always portrayed as a graceful activity that promotes balance (although i can state for a fact it DOES NOT), and the comic states that bunnie had a lot of trouble adjusting to her new limbs.
ALSO the music bun and twan dance to is called "waltz katzen blut". it's just super pretty n shit and super nolstagic for me.
thanks for reading~!