(As a reminder, I do not own Knuckles, Rouge, or any affiliated SEGA characters. Joey the Raccoon is a character I made up, but is available for use)
Author's Note: To my readers, thank you for taking the time to read this story of mine. It has, indeed, been a while since I've submitted anything to. Well, here is a brand new story that I've meant to do for the longest time. I sincerely hope that you enjoy reading it as much as I did writing it!
I'll try to update as often as possible. But only if you guys review! Thanks.
Enjoy,
Patrick H. (Sonic Hero)
Each Other's Prison
Written by Sonic Hero
Starring characters from various Sonic titles made by SEGA
The finish line was dead ahead. Sonic had totally swept the competition away for the past nine miles. His feet moved at an unbelievably high speed beneath him, propelling him faster than any other man or animal could possibly go.
The crowd of people to his left and right cheered him on. Some chanted his name. Sonic kept his eyes forward and drove all of his force forward for the final stretch. This was finally the moment of fame and glory – he would break possibly twelve world records, perhaps even more, if he forgot any.
He could count down, in seconds, how long it'd take to get there. Eight... seven... six... his legs barely hurt at all. He felt quite energized, really. Five... four... the adrenaline rush in his body provided him his fuel. Three... two...
Three earsplitting shots rang out. The rhythm of Sonic's quick-paced dash shifted slightly, then increasingly. Before he knew it, Sonic tripped his left foot over his right. He yelled in surprise as he fell quickly and harshly into the ground. He did not roll or bounce – just a slow, agonizing drag along the rough, dusty path. His chest pounded intensely. Everything flashed a bright white, and the pain seemed to melt away. For a split-second, it felt as if he had left the race completely.
Was he unconscious?
Was he dead?
No, he just woke up.
Sonic shot up, more startled than ever, on the floor beside his bed. His chest beat harshly and he could barely catch his breath. The bedcovers surrounded him in a tangled mess, halfway tying him to the floor.
"Wha... what was that?" he asked aloud. "A nightmare? Those loud noises... sounded awfully real..." He glanced at his bedside alarm clock, now hanging precariously on the ledge of his small, wooden dresser. It read 5:28. "Darn it!" he shouted in his quiet, empty bedroom. "I guess it's too late to go back to slee-"
Three consecutive knocks echoed down the hallway and into his bedroom. Sonic frantically untangled himself from the sheets and hurried down the hall.
Sonic the Hedgehog is known for his incredibly fast running speed, his light-hearted personality, and for saving the world from the evil robot-making genius, Eggman. Sonic won't hesitate to take on any challenge, no matter what the odds are.
On his many adventures to save the world, he has had the companionship of his two good friends, Miles "Tails" Prower and Knuckles the Echidna. Tails, a mechanical genius like Eggman, is Sonic's best friend, and will always help him whenever possible. Knuckles, guardian of the giant floating gem called the Master Emerald, has a rough exterior and won't show any signs of weaknesses. However, he often shows a more friendly side toward Tails and Sonic.
Sonic finally reached the front door and rubbed his eyes drowsily. A small window by the door showed that there was hardly any light outside. Who on Earth, thought Sonic, would visit him so early in the morning? Sonic hastily opened the door to find his answer.
Through Sonic's life, a young Amy Rose had always followed him. Since having been saved by the speedy blue wonder long ago, and a few more times after, Amy had grown a large infatuation with Sonic, and made sure whenever possible that he knew it. Often times she would beg, trick, or sometimes force Sonic into marrying her. No plan to date has worked.
Amy Rose stood at Sonic's doorstep in her usual red dress, smiling cheerfully at him. "Good morning, Sonic!" she greeted Sonic with a cheery attitude.
"Amy!" Sonic nearly jumped. "Wha- what are you doing here?"
A large grin spread across her face. "A couple nights ago... I came up with this great idea! It's... about Knuckles."
Sonic felt both relieved and curious. "Oh... Knuckles... what about him?"
Amy held her hands behind her back and rocked back and forth on her heels. "Can I come in?"
Sonic turned around and quickly scanned his living room, as if there were someone there (which there obviously wasn't). "Yeah, sure..."
Amy walked in and immediately made her way to Sonic's soft, blue couch. Sonic rubbed his face, a bit annoyed. He shut the door behind him and joined Amy on the other end of the couch. "What about Knuckles?" he continued. "You said you had some... idea?"
Amy nodded quickly. Sonic could tell how excited she was about whatever her plan was. "Do you know about his little girlfriend?" she winked at him.
Sonic laughed for a moment. "Knuckles? Wait, are we talking about the same Knuckles?"
Amy laughed with him. "Yeah, don't you remember?" Sonic shook his head, so Amy continued. "Ever since the ARK incident, Knuckles has been totally head-over-heels for a bat lady named Rouge!"
Rouge the Bat, one of the few involved with the ARK incident, is a mysterious woman known to deceive, flirt, and steal precious diamonds and jewels. When she had first met Knuckles, she tried to steal his cherished Master Emerald, which resulted in it shattering to pieces.
When both Rouge and Knuckles had collected all the emerald shards, they fought each other for the others' shards on the towering steel beams in a construction site above a pit of molten lava. However, when Rouge had accidentally slipped from the beam they stood on, Knuckles swiftly grabbed her at the last minute to save her life. Since then, they still consider each other enemies, but they haven't seen much of each other as of late.
Sonic's eyes shot open, as if receiving a quick electric jolt. "Oh, that's right! She must've been that 'bat girl' he kept talking about."
Amy giggled hearing that. "Yeah, that's her. And I've just come across this perfect idea to get those two lovebirds together!" She made an evil smile. "It'll be embarrassing, it'll be hilarious, and we'll be watching the whole thing!"
Sonic couldn't help but smile at Amy's scheme. Humiliate the hot-headed Knuckles, a goal that Knuckles has sought after for a lifetime? "Sounds great! So, what's your plan?"
Amy pulled out from behind her a shiny metal pair of handcuffs. Sonic looked at her, puzzled. "You're gonna arrest them?"
She laughed at Sonic's joke. "No, when they're asleep, we'll handcuff 'em together! And when they learn to show their true feelings for each other, I'll just slip the key to them!"
"Ha ha! That's perfect!" Sonic was beaming. "That way, they'll have to stick together!" His grin faded quickly. "But... how are we going to get them together? I mean, it's not like they see each other often."
Amy scooted closer to him and smirked. "That's why I'm here this morning." She stood up. "Come on, Sonic! We've gotta start planning!
Sonic stayed put, still puzzled. "Planning for what?"
She winked at him. "We're throwing a party."
Angel Island, the large island in the clouds, is known for three things – the lush, beautiful, and natural atmosphere, the large and powerful Master Emerald, and Knuckles the Echidna, the guardian that watches over it.
Knuckles Echidna sat propped up against the giant, glowing, hunk of rock that was the Master Emerald. Nothing ever changed on Angel Island. Just day after day of protecting the emerald from being damaged or stolen.
That's how it was, that's how it is, that's how it ever will be.
...Until that Tails kid showed up.
Knuckles was just about to take his second nap of that day when the young, yellow fox flew in from the cavern passageway. "Knuckles!" Tails shouted.
When the fox finally reached the emerald altar, his two tails finally stopped whirling and he slowly descended to the ground, until he stood again on his two feet. "How's it going, Knuckles?"
Knuckles shrugged. Company was what he was looking for - it was always boring around the island - but Tails would've been pretty low on his list. "Not bad. Nothing new, really. How about you?"
Tails reached behind himself and pulled out a small card. "Just fine. Sonic's inviting everyone to this party as his house! All of our friends are gonna be there." He handed the card to Knuckles. "You were invited, too. But... it seems kind of... weird."
Knuckles took the card. "Weird? Like how?" He read the front of the card aloud. "Sonic and Amy are throwing a par-" He caught himself. "Amy? Sonic and Amy?"
Tails showed the same confused face as Knuckles. "That's what got me, too. But I called Sonic about it, and it's an actual party." He flipped over the card Knuckles held. "They added the guest list to the backside."
"Weird," Knuckles remarked. He read the names on the list. "This message was sent to Tails... Cream... Knuckles... Big... Ro-" He stopped short. "She's invited!?!"
Weekends were always hectic at work for Rouge the Bat. And for the beautiful, yet overworked night club manager, this Saturday night was no different.
As always, the bright, colorful lights flashed from the ceiling, the neon lights illuminated the club inside and out, and loud techno music blared from the several speakers hidden in the ceiling. Club members of many species danced, drank at the indoor bar, sat and chat with regulars, and hit on other club members of the opposite gender.
While there were plenty of visitors and members appearing, fights and brawls for no clear reason arose left and right. Usually from drinking too much, or disputes over which woman was hotter, when the first punch was swung, the center of attention was called immediately to the fight.
Rouge had always been the one to end each quarrel - the result always varied from free drinks to getting kicked out for the night. However, Rouge was fair and respectful, and every member would come to listen to and follow her judgments.
After solving an argument between a rude, blue fox named Shaun and a weird, green hedgehog with no known name that night, Rouge snuck away to her private office to the side of the large lounge room.
"Phew," she leaned heavily against the door. "What is Joey putting in those drinks?" She laughed lightly, hoping to rid herself of the stress. She flicked on the light switch, illuminating a small, yet pleasant room with a couple bookshelves, a set of bean bag chairs, and a high-tech computer at a desk.
Rouge went to her computer and sat in her small office chair, relieved to relax after a long nights' work. A message popped up, stating the arrival of one new e-mail from a Miss Amy Rose.
"Amy..." pondered Rouge, staring at her computer screen, "that name sounds so familiar." She shot up. "Oh, that's right. That annoying pest in the red dress... that follows Sonic everywhere... yeah, that's her. But what does she want?"
She skimmed through the message, reading bits of it aloud. "Sonic and Amy are throwing a party... food and drinks... music and dancing... this Sunday." She sat upright, with a smug expression on her face. "Well, Amy," she joked, "I'm busy Sunday. So you can just take your party and..." she paused to read more of the message. "Oh, there's more. Guest list: Tails... never heard of him... Cream... never heard of her..."
She fell silent. She immediately walked out of the room back into the main lounge. She walked up to Joey, a grey raccoon working as the club bartender, and tugged on his sleeve. "I'm taking tomorrow off," she explained.
Burdened with the rush of customers, Joey worked as he talked. "What for, Miss Rouge?"
"I'm heading to a party."