Hey guys, here's a quick little story I did for an Art Trade on DA. Pretty much a story focused on the way I characterize Miles/Anti-Tails. Probably not a good choice of story if you think Scourge is the best thing ever, but if so, why are you even here? That said, enjoy.
StH: Closure- Chapter 1
Moebius, normally a grim, vile world, was currently in the throes of a mass celebration, following the coronation of its latest monarchs, Miles and Alicia Prower. The two were a young couple, only twenty and twenty-five years old respectively, and many hoped that this would be reflected in their attitudes. That said, there was still a great deal of apprehension. The previous king had also been just twenty-four, and his so-called queen had been the tender age of sixteen. As if sensing this anxiety, King Miles had appeared before his people, and announced that the reign of Scourge the Hedgehog was both a thing of the past, and not officially recognised- Scourge had never been crowned, he had stolen power, and his queen, Fiona Fox, was not of Moebian birth, and therefore ineligible for the role.
Miles had made sure to retain a good public image- he always appeared well dressed, with Alicia by his side, and he always maintained an amicable personality. Beneath this smartly-dressed, polite exterior, however, rested a bitter cynic, damaged by the course his life had taken.
The early hours of the morning found Miles slowly making his way out of the cemetery located to the back of the palace in which he lived. His crown and cape were missing- he dressed just as he would have before his rise to power. His normal, confident smirk was replaced by a mournful expression of emptiness. Alicia was waiting for him at the gate, and hugged him as he drew near.
"You alright?" She asked, gently resting her head on her husband's shoulder.
"No… every time I go back there, I get angrier. At myself, for failing to prevent it, and him… for doing it in the first place."
"I understand, darling. But he's rotting in a cold, dark cell now, and the fourth one got away before he killed her."
"True. You know, I think he was right when he said Fiona was smart for getting out when she did. Just not in the way you'd think."
"Yes. Besides, I think there's something you need to see." Alicia said. "I commissioned it a while ago, and it's finally finished."
"And I take it you can't tell me what it is?"
"Correct."
"Alright then." Miles feigned a smile, and allowed Alicia to lead him back into the castle, and into the main atrium. Whereas there had previously been a large statue of Alicia's father, Maxx, there was now something altogether larger, hidden by a curtain. "I was wondering how long it would take you to get rid of that old statue."
"I'm surprised it took me this long." Alicia sighed, rubbing her forehead. "I suppose you can blame it on the lack of replacement. Okay, Anima. Drop the curtain."
"Yes Mistress." A neutral, female voice echoed around the room, and the velvet curtain dropped away.
To say that the new statue was grand was an understatement. It was golden, the bulk of It being formed by three identical figures- all of them vixens, clad in light armour, and carrying blades. The central one was holding hers aloft, the one to the left was planting hers in the chest of a prone hedgehog clad in biker gear, and the one to the right had stowed her weapon and was holding a smaller, wingless vixen with similar features in her arms. A plaque at the base of it read "A tribute to the fallen, and the one who avoided their fate."
"It's… it's…" Miles mumbled, his mouth hanging open, before finally turning to embrace Alicia. "It's beautiful. Thank you."
"You're welcome." She replied, returning the hug. "Now, it's gone midnight sweetie. Come to bed."
"Alright."
The next morning, after a hearty breakfast, though, the royal couple's improved mood was shattered, when Anima approached with news. Miles reclining on his throne, with Alicia under his arm, and his free hand resting on the hilt of an ornate blade.
"The No-Zone has suffered a mass breakout." The lynx said. "Scourge was among the escapees. He has returned to Moebius, and massacred several villages. He sent one survivor to bring this message to us. The aforementioned villager reported seeing Scourge excavate a cache of purple stones."
"How did he get out?" Miles growled. "The Zone Cops may be incompetent at claiming their targets, but they are certainly adept at maintaining them."
"Reportedly, it was the doing of the Prime zone's counterparts to the Protectix, led by Fiona Fox."
"Ugh… that misguided girl is playing right into his hands again… If he's coming for us, let him come. Shield the statue. I want him to see it. In fact, shield most of the building. If he has a set of Anarchy Beryls, then this will require the use of our set as well, and I have no desire to cause any property damage."
"Yes Master."
"Estimated time of arrival for Scourge?"
"He has to slow down for his team, so I would say around midday."
"Hm… a showdown at high noon. How poetic." Miles sighed.
Noon came slowly, leaving Miles stewing in a mix of hatred, outrage, and anticipation, as a plan formed in his mind. It wasn't by any means elaborate- it lacked the myriad complexities his plans normally held, but the reason why was simple. His usual schemes were formulated so that, in the event that the plan failed, he still won in one way or another. This time, however, there was no way to make failure beneficial. If he lost the upcoming battle, Scourge would kill him. Then Alicia would either share his fate or worse, and what would happen to Anima was anyone's guess. This time, it was simple: Goad Scourge into battling him one-on-one, and overwhelm him with superior mastery of his Anarchy powers.
Miles once more shed his cape and placed his crown in the seat of his throne. He slid the sword into its scabbard, and slung it over his shoulder. His fists tightened, and he turned on his heel, before leaving the throne room. Alicia, Anima, and the rest of the Squad were waiting for him in the main atrium. He passed them, looking up at the statue, and rested his hand against the boot of the central figure. The fox bowed his head.
"This ends today, Anna." He whispered, looking back up at the figure's confident smile and steely gaze, before turning to face the door, which exploded off its hinges a few moments later.
Scourge was the first through the open doorway, swaggering as per usual. The moment he entered, Miles felt the presence of the Anarchy Beryl he had claimed. Directly behind him was Fiona, who, despite her smirk, seemed to be limping a little. Afterwards came a wiry lynx, a huge, muscular gorilla, blue-feathered hawk, and frog, dressed like a pilot from a time when planes lacked canopies.
Immediately, their attention was drawn to the magnificent statue behind Miles. Most of them were simply distracted by the imposing figures. Fiona, meanwhile had immediately noticed that all four of the vixens bore a distinct resemblance to herself- in fact, the smaller one, cradled in the arms of the right-hand figure, even shared her outfit and hairstyle. Scourge, meanwhile stared, wide-eyed.
"I see you noticed the little gift Alicia arranged for me." Miles said, stepping forward. "I'm sure, Scourge, that you recognise the meaning? Why don't you explain it to your poor girlfriend. She seems more than a little bewildered by it."
"I, er, I don't think that's necessary." Scourge replied.
"Scourge?" Fiona cut in. "What's he talking about?"
"It's nothing!"
"It sure seems like something…"
"Tell you what…" Miles spoke up, getting into his stride. "Alicia and Anima will tell you, while myself and Scourge sort this out the old fashioned way. They're rather good storytellers."
"Forget that!" Scourge roared. "Destructix, attack!"
Miles sighed, and vanished in a pulse of purple light, reappearing in the midst of the group. He immediately singled out the ape- the name wasn't important, what was important was that he was, barring Scourge, the strongest of the group physically. Miles' hand clamped around his thick neck, and lifted him away from the ground, strangling him in the process. The ape flailed helplessly, trying to struggle out of the hold, only to be thrown into the wall. Then the young king's hands locked around his ankle, and he was hoisted up, and swung clean over Miles' shoulder, and into the floor on the other side. A deft kick to the midsection rolled him onto his back, and Miles slashed his gut open with a single stroke from his tail. Then he returned to the Suppression Squad, and dusted himself off.
"Your team can do nothing to mine, Scourge. They are, in comparison, poorly trained. They are outnumbered. I just defeated and heavily wounded your powerhouse. I have Anima. You have no means to bargain with me… well, I can think of a few things, but none of them are beneficial in the long run. So, now, for once in your wretched existence, you will listen."
"Tch, fine." Scourge grumbled.
"Now, you and I will fight, on even terms. I know you have a set of Anarchy Beryl. I do too. There is no need for our sides to fight. We can sort this out the cleaner way."
"You're kidding, right?" Scourge laughed. "I can kick the crap out of you without even trying!"
"Then you won't have a problem accepting this challenge, will you?"
"Okay then, you're on, Miles."
The two sets of Anarchy Beryl appeared in the same moment, revolving around their respective owners. Scourge's aura became visible, and exploded upwards, enveloping him, and turning his fur as purple as it was. His eyes turned crimson, and the sclerae faded to black, as his quills stood on end, and the flames on his jacket turned blue. Miles' transformation, meanwhile, was much more subdued- the colour washed from his fur leaving him grey all over, as his irises turned purple, and, like Scourge, his sclerae became black.
"Even my Super form looks better than yours." Miles smirked, violet fire igniting around his hands. Scourge let out an animalistic snarl, and charged into Miles, smashing him straight into a wall. He pressed his forearm against his opponent's throat, trying to choke him, and started pummelling the fox's stomach repeatedly with his free fist. Miles groaned, and lifted his knee into the purple hedgehog's groin, hard. Scourge let out a howl of agony, and doubled up, floating backwards, and promptly received two rock-hard tails to the gut, then two fists straight down on his forehead, sending him plummeting back into the floor.
"Not bad…" Miles mused. "But your power does not match your brutality."
"You talk too much…" Scourge hissed, standing up, and charging at his enemy again. Miles deflected the incoming punch with his elbow, and delivered an uppercut to Scourge's chin, which he followed up with another tail swipe, which sent the hedgehog tumbling out of the doorway. Miles once more dusted off his coat, and pursued.
"Well, they'll be doing that for a while." Alicia shrugged. "Now, I suppose you want an explanation as to what my new piece of artwork is all about?"
"I wouldn't mind." Fiona said. "I thought you guys hated me. Why did you put four of me on a plinth?"
"It's not that simple." The squirrel chuckled, beckoning the vixen over to her side. "You were… an obstacle… to myself and Miles' accession. Honestly, if you hadn't left when you did, we would probably have kept you around, at least for a little while. Come closer, have a look at the plaque."
Apprehensively, Fiona made her way over to Alicia, who immediately snaked an arm around her shoulders. Fiona yelped at the hands-on approach, but the queen pressed a finger against her lips, hushing her, then gestured to the brass plaque.
"Read it."
"A tribute to the fallen, and the one who avoided their fate… what does that even mean?"
"The fallen are the three bigger ladies. The central one is the Fiona of our world, Anna Fox. She was a lot like you are now. Miles fell head over heels for her, but she was more into Scourge. Sound familiar?"
"Just like me, with Sonic and Tails…"
"Exactly. Well, except Scourge was, well, Scourge, and he treated her like something scraped off the sole of his shoe. That probably sounds familiar too, right? I noticed that you're limping."
"Yeah. Scourge isn't exactly… gentlemanly. I got a little… out of line while he was powerless in the No-Zone."
"Well, Anna was a bit of a glutton for punishment. She was a bit weird like that. Scourge didn't like that at all. He wanted her to suffer. His actions started escalating. It went from simple yelling, to the occasional beating, to outright domestics. All the while, Miles tried to get her away from him. She refused. Well, this kept on until one day, Miles found her, lying on the ground in a back-alley. She was dying, and no matter what he did, he couldn't save her. Scourge was the killer, of course. He went back and attacked Scourge in a rage, and Scourge beat the crap out of him."
"Oh my gods…"
"Yeah." Alicia sighed. "The autopsy report is… it's something else. Miles has never read it. He doesn't want to know what Scourge did to her. I've read it myself... and I can tell you that you don't want to see it either."
"Oh…"
"The one on the left is Felicia. She came from another world. She was a mercenary, who Miles met during his first foray into interdimensional travel. She followed him back, and he tried to push her away, so she wouldn't join up with us, but she wanted him. Scourge seduced her, though. He gave attention when Miles shunned her. Of course, she was more than a little feisty, and Scourge didn't like the idea of someone else having any form of power in a relationship, as you discovered. She ended up meeting the same fate. Didn't take as long, either."
"Oh… and the last one?"
"She's Faye. She's the one I pity the most. She was a sweet thing, studying for her doctorate when she met Scourge. He'd gone through the Warp Ring to find another Anna copy. He'd started to enjoy both the act, and Miles' reactions, and he was really mad at Miles at the time. He played the suave charmer again, and he showed Faye a good time… then he did the same thing to her. The final vixen, 'The one that avoided their fate' is you. You got away from that horrible end when you left Scourge. We didn't realise that you had gone back for him, but it's not too late. You can still get away from him."
Fiona stared at Alicia, not quite believing her, but the squirrel remained firm, not attempting to dodge the vixen's perceptive gaze. Once it finally twigged, she sank down to her knees, and started to cry softly. Alicia crouched down next to her, and hugged her tightly.
"Anima, deal with Scourge's band of mercenaries. He won't be needing them anymore."