Sonic
the Hedgehog: The Power of Love
by Serinthia
Draftwood
co-authored
by Morgan Ingersoll
Serinthia Draftwood will accept questions
and comments about this
work at
the following addresses:
serinthia@draftwood.com
based on characters created by Service and
Games(SEGA) Inc., and
on characters created by Archie Comic
Publications Inc.
This work is protected under copyright
law. The primary author
grants
his permission for free, unaltered distribution of this work. Any
other
use is prohibited.
AUTHOR'S
NOTE: I would like to take this
opportunity to thank Morgan for
his
assistance is writing one of the scenes in this story. Its
appreciated.
The cold chill of Winter was slowly
passing and being replaced by
the
damp warmth of Spring. All throughout
the Great Forest, signs of the
season
could be seen everywhere. In the heart
of the forest, at Knothole
Village,
the freedom fighters welcomed t he Spring after a harsh, cold
winter. Now that the winter was over, activity would
increase. One of
the
activities being engaged in on this particular day, was the testing of
one of
Rotor's new inventions.
A line of targets had been set up and were
waiting. Without
warning,
a metallic fist shot through one of them with amazing force.
Twenty-five
yards away, Rotor watched and took notes as Bunnie used her
extendable
left arm to destroy each target in turn.
"How's it feel?" asked Rotor as
Bunnie pulled her robotic arm back
to its
normal length.
"Smooth as glass, sugar," said
Bunnie, smiling.
"Great," replied Rotor
"There's just one more thing. May
I?"
Rotor gestured to Bunnie's arm which she
lifted to him. Rotor
opened
a side panel and did some more tinkering. As he worked, Bunnie
felt
something click inside her arm.
"Oh, what was that?" she asked.
"Just a locking system," replied
Rotor "We wouldn't want you
driving
that fist into anything by accident would we."
"No we wouldn't," Bunnie agreed.
"Now that we finally perfected this,
you'll be able to bulls-eye
Swat-bots
right between the eyes at twenty-five yards," said Rotor.
Bunnie grinned.
"I'd rather bulls-eye Robotnik, but I
get your point," Bunnie responded.
"I know what you mean," Rotor
said, chuckling briefly.
There was a moment of silence between the
two. Rotor hated
moments
like this when words escaped him. He
looked into Bunnie's eyes as
he
fought for his voice. There was
something welling up in his heart that
he
wanted to say, but he couldn't bring himself to say it. He shook the
thought
from his mind as he found his voice.
"Well, I guess that just about does
it," he said hastily, gathering
up his
notes "If you have any problems with it let me know."
Bunnie looked at him consideringly for a
moment.
"Alright, sugar," she replied
"you can count on it."
As she walked back to her hut, Bunnie
thought about what had
happened. She had seen the look of uncertainty on
Rotor's face. She saw
the
nervousness in his eyes. She often
wondered what it was that made
Rotor
seem so uncertain of himself. Even more
than that, she wondered
why her
heart was always racing during those times when Rotor struggled
for
words. It was as if, during moments
like that, she would kill just to
find
out what he really wanted to say.
Later that night, after Bunnie crawled
into bed, she lay awake for
several
minutes thinking about Rotor. She
thought of how good he was at
the
things he does, and about how he seemed to want to devote so much time
to
her. As she fell asleep that night,
Rotor was the last thought on her mind.
Bunnie
fell out of bed and lay stunned for a minute, not quite awake
yet. When she did come fully conscious, she found
to her dismay that her
right
leg was paralyzed.
"Oh
my stars," Bunnie gasped, her heart skipping a beat. "Oh no!
What
will I do?"
Not
letting herself get worked up into hysterics, she steeled herself
and
grasped the footboard of the bed. Her
robotic arm was more that
strong
enough to pull her body upright.
"There,
Bunniegirl!" she said to herself, "No reason to worry none.
All you
got to do now is to get yourself over to Rotor's. I hope the
sugar-rus
won't mind me knocking at this time of the night..."
It
was three in the morning when Rotor sat back from the story he'd
been
writing. He rubbed his eyes and yawned,
then saved his file and shut
down
his computer.
"Got yourself sucked in again,"
he chuckled to himself as he walked
over to
the sink for a glass of water.
He
turned at the knock at the door. Taking
the water with him, he
went to
answer it.
"Bunnie!"
he said, glad to see her. Then he
noticed something was
wrong.
"I'm
so sorry to wake you, darlin'," Bunnie said, shifting her
weight. "But I need your help."
"Sure,"
Rotor said, motioning her to enter. "What's wrong?"
"My
right leg's frozen, sugar," Bunnie said, her courage beginning
to
crack.
"Oh,"
Rotor gasped, setting down the glass aside on the dresser
beside
the door.
"Come on," he added, helping
Bunnie inside. "I'll take care of
you."
Rotor
lifted Bunnie up and sat her on his worktable, which was high
enough
to let him work on the leg comfortably. He brought over his
scanner
and his tool box and set up to work.
"I'm
awfully grateful to you, sugar," Bunnie said, trying to be
chipper. But it was clear she was frightened.
"Don't
worry, Bunnie," Rotor said, pausing to look into her eyes and
place
an assuring hand on her furry shoulder. "You're gonna be fine."
Bunnie
smiled, happy the walrus was so understanding. She sat
patiently
as he worked, admiring his confidence and seeing that he
actually
enjoyed his work. Soon he was finished.
"Don't
try to move it yet," he said, putting away his tools.
"Give it a few minutes to warm
up."
"What
happened?" Bunnie asked.
"Old
cable snapped lose, is all," Rotor explained. "Did you fall,
or eh,
pull a muscle?" he added with a chuckle.
"I
did fall out of bed!" Bunnie giggled, feeling so relived and happy.
Rotor
sighed. He loved to hear Bunnie
laugh. He loved to hear her
talk,
period. He moved to speak to her, but
words failed him now, and a
fear of
sounding foolish or forward cooled his amorous drive altogether.
Bunnie could see the change in Rotor's
face she knew so well.
Placing
her hand to her heart, she recalled how often Rotor would seem so
happy
and peaceful, but suddenly go dark and silent. Oh, how it bothered
her!
"What's
wrong, darlin'?! she asked, putting her hand on Rotor's
shoulder.
"Why so sad all of a sudden?"
"Oh,
I dunno," Rotor sighed, leaning against the table. He put his
hand on
Bunnie's hard metallic thigh, appearing to examine it, but his
then
touch softened and he slipped his hand up to Bunnie's yielding waist.
He
swallowed as the warmth of the rabbit's body passed into his palm.
"What
is it, sugar?" Bunnie asked again, her heart quickening at his
touch.
Rotor
took a deep breath and looked straight into Bunnie's eyes.
"It's
just that I..." he began again, then hesitated. Shaking his
head he
grunted with frustration.
"Yes,
darlin'?" Bunnie coaxed him, her eyes soft and receptive.
"I
like you a whole lot," Rotor finally said. "And I think I love you."
"Oh,
Rotor," Bunnie sighed. A tear fell
from her eye.
Rotor
shivered and stepped back.
"Oh,
I'm sorry," he gasped, becoming agitated. "I'm so sorry. I
shocked
you. I shouldn't have said it. I'm sorry."
"No,"
Bunnie gasped, trying to slip off the table. "No," darlin'!
You're
all right!"
"Don't
move!" Rotor warned, pushing his body against hers to prevent
the
rabbit from hitting the floor and undoing the surgery.
"Oh,
Rotor," Bunnie said, bringing him closer into an embrace.
"You sweet thing!" She choked, trying not to cry. Yet knowing
now
how
Rotor felt about her was overwhelming.
"Bunnie,"
Rotor gasped, afraid of what was happening to them. It
was wrong
to start it this way, he scolded himself. She's too
vulnerable... She can't think... I can't think!
He
stood helpless for a few moments, holding Bunnie as she cried
against
his chest.
"You
needn't be afraid," Bunnie sobbed. "You darlin'...!"
"I'm
afraid I've upset you," Rotor said, rocking the rabbit gently.
"I
shouldn't have told you this way. You're tired and scared... It
just
isn't
right..."
"I'm
not afraid anymore!" Bunnie said, now incredibly happy. "Not
when
I'm here with you."
Rotor
drew back from the embrace and bent to examine Bunnie's leg.
"Try to move it now."
Bunnie
found that her leg moved easily. Rotor
lifted her up and
placed
her gently to the floor upon her feet. Bunnie walked around the
room a
few times. Satisfied that her leg was
good as new, she approached
Rotor
and moved to hold him again.
But
Rotor held Bunnie back.
"I
think you'd better go," he said.
"Okay,"
Bunnie said, confused but cooperative. "If you want me to."
Rotor
walked her to the door but did not open it. He stood for a
moment,
searching his mind for something else to say that would explain
his
behavior, but found nothing. He felt
terrible.
This
was not the way he wanted it to happen.
At
his pause Bunnie took the opportunity to embrace Rotor again and
give
him a loving kiss on the mouth, not too passionate, but strong enough
to let
the walrus understand that everything was all right and that the
love
between them was mutual.
"Thanks
Rotor," Bunnie said. "Good
night."
"Good
night," Rotor said, opening the door.
Bunnie
paused on the porch and looked back at Rotor.
"Let
me know how that leg is, Bunnie," Rotor said.
"Of
course, sugar," Bunnie said softly.
Rotor
nodded goodbye and closed the door.
Bunnie
watched the lights go out in Rotor's hut. Letting out a
heavy
sigh, she went back to her hut, knowing she would not sleep that
night
for thinking of her friend.
Inside
the hut, Rotor climbed into bed and tried to go to sleep. He
rolled
over and pulled the covers over his head.
"You
did it all wrong," he scolded himself. "ALL wrong!"
In the morning, Rotor sat miserably at his
table as he munched on
a sweet
roll. He didn't think it was possible
for him to feel any worse.
Last
night had been a total disaster as far as he was concerned. He had
been
waiting for the perfect moment to t ell Bunnie how he felt, and last
night
wasn't it.
However, the truth was out now. Bunnie knew exactly how Rotor
felt
about her. He wondered briefly if he'd
ever be able to look at
Bunnie
again without feeling guilty about how he had taken advantage of
her
vulnerability the night before. How
would he deal with all that had
happened? It was clear that he needed advice, but who
to go to? Antoine
considered
himself to be creation's gift to females, and Bookshire, for
all his
life experience, had never been in love, at least not to anyone's
knowledge. Sonic was the only one left. He was in a deep relationship
with
Sally, so he seemed to be the perfect person to go to. After he
finished
breakfast, Rotor went out to find him, hoping he wouldn't run
into
Bunnie along the way.
Bunnie rolled over in bed. As predicted, she had not slept a wink
since
3:00 am. Since the moment she got back
from seeing Rotor, he was
all she
could think of. The idea that he loved
her was not entirely new
to
her. There had been several times in t
he past when she suspected that
that's
what it was, but she had never explored the possibility. Now it
was all
out in the open. Rotor loved her. That's why he wanted to spend
time
with her and be close to her. It was
also why he would suddenly
become
silent and distant when words failed.
The one thing that confused her most was
that, after he told her,
he
seemed to collapse in on himself and regret that he had said anything.
When
she had wanted to embrace him, he wanted her to leave.
As she slipped out of her nightgown and
got dressed, she thought
of how
their relationship had started. From
the very first day she was
robotizized,
he had been there for her. During the
times when she was
frustrated
because she couldn't get her legs t o work properly or the
times
when she would accidentally crush something in her robotic hand, he
had
been there to pick her up and encourage her to keep trying. She
remembered
how happy she had been the day she was able to shake Rotor's
hand
with no fear o f crushing it into a bloody mess.
When she finished dressing, she went out
to find Sally. She needed
advice
and she needed it now.
As Rotor walked down by the power ring
pool, he heard a sonic boom as
Sonic
raced up.
"Hiya, Rote," said Sonic
"How are ya'"
"Sonic, am I glad to see you, "
said Rotor.
"What is it?" asked Sonic,
somewhat more seriously.
"I need advice," replied Rotor
"I've got a major problem."
"Tell me about it," said Sonic.
"Well, it's about Bunnie . . .I'm in
love with her, Sonic," he said.
"Alright!" exclaimed Sonic
"Congratulations!"
When Sonic saw Rotor didn't share his
excitement, he calmed down.
"Last night she came to me because
she was having a problem with
her
leg, "Rotor said "She was scared. After I fixed her leg, I told her
how I
felt."
"So? I don't get what your problem is," said Sonic.
"It was the wrong time!"
exclaimed Rotor "She was tired and scared
and I
took advantage of her and her feelings. Now, I've gone and ruined
the
whole thing."
"Well, what makes you think it was
the wrong time?" asked Sonic
"How
did she react when you told her?"
"Well . . .she seemed shocked at
first, then she started crying.
Whether
it was from shock or happiness, I'm not sure," replied Rotor.
"Look Rote, if she didn't flatly
refuse you, I'd say that was a
pretty
good sign she was happy," said Sonic.
"Well, she did kiss me before she
left," admitted Rotor.
"There you go," said Sonic
smiling "That just proves my point. It
may not
have been the situation you were planning on telling her in, but
she
doesn't seem to care. The point is
she's glad you told her at all."
"So, what do I do now?" asked
Rotor.
"Well," Sonic thought for a
moment "Do something romantic for her."
"Like what?" asked Rotor.
"Well, sometimes Sally and I arrange
late-night encounters in the
garden. We talk and look at the stars. We sometimes end up in some of
the
most passionate kissing sessions you ever heard of," said Sonic,
chuckling
briefly "Obviously, you and Bunnie just started in your
relationship
so you wouldn't be that deep yet, but I think you see where
I'm
going with this."
"Yeah, I think so," said Rotor
"Thanks for the advice."
"No prob," said Sonic cheerfully
"That's one of the many reasons
I'm
here. Good luck!"
Sonic powered up and raced off into the
distance.
"He's so uncertain at times, it's
almost nerve-racking," Bunnie was
saying
"Now that he's told me how he feels, he seems even worse."
Bunnie and Sally sat in Sally's hut
talking about the events of
the
previous night.
"Well, Rotor's a shy person,"
said Sally "You just need to give him
some
time to come to terms with his feelings."
"The problem is I don't think he
intended to tell me under
conditions
like those," said Bunnie.
"Admissions of love are rarely
planned out," said Sally "He's
probably
just in shock by the fact that he told you during a time that he
thought
was inappropriate."
"So, how do I help him come
around?" asked Bunnie.
"That's very hard to do. Usually its better to wait a while to see
if he
come out of it by himself," Sally said "Julayla used to say 'Time
heals
all wounds'. Just be patient. You love him and you know he loves
you,
all it needs is time."
A few days later, Rotor paced back and
forth in his hut trying to
decide
how to get Bunnie to meet him that night. He had decided to set up
a
romantic encounter in the garden, but setting it up was harder than he
thought. With Sonic's help he had managed to gather
the appropriate
materials,
now all he had to do was ask Bunnie to meet him. He wasn't
quite
ready to go up and ask her directly, he wanted to do it another way.
Suddenly,
he snapped his fingers as he got an idea.
Over in Bunnie's hut, Bunnie sat by the
window thinking about the
things
she and Sally had talked about. Suddenly, she heard a noise over
by here
front door. Going over to investigate,
she found a small piece of
paper
on the floor that someone must have slipped under her door.
Unfolding
it, she noted the wonderful handwriting style as she read it:
My dearest love:
My feelings for you run deep and I can't
be without you. I would
like to ask you to meet me in the garden
tonight around Nine o'clock so
that we may discuss the feelings we have
for one another.
Love,
Rotor
Bunnie almost cried out in joy as she
finished reading. He heart
sang as
she went over to her wardrobe and decided what to wear. Tonight
would
not be a night she would soon forget.
That night as the clock move slowly toward
nine, Rotor waited
nervously. Next to him on a table he had set up was a
CD player with a
disc of
slow, romantic music in it.
As he turned toward the garden entrance,
the site that met his
eyes
took his breath away. Bunnie was
standing at the entrance smiling at
him. Instead of the normal purple garb she
usually wore, she was decked
out in
a stunning purple dress that was of such beauty that it must have
been
something she had been saving for a special occasion.
"Good evening, Rotor" she said
softly as she walked up to him.
Rotor's voice caught in his throat for a
moment before he found it
again.
"Good evening," he said
"You look real nice, Bunnie."
"Thanks," said Bunnie, smiling.
Rotor hesitated another moment as he
looked deep into her eyes.
They
were so beautiful, Rotor thought, she was so beautiful. The feeling
of love
were welling up inside him like never before.
"Bunnie," he began "about
the other night . . ."
"Shhh," Bunnie said soothingly
"I understand, sugar. You were
nervous
and afraid. It's okay."
"It's just that I love you so much, I
didn't want to hurt you,"
said
Rotor.
"You didn't hurt me," said
Bunnie "You told me what was in your
heart. You let your feelings out into the
open. To be honest, I'm glad
you
did. I love you too, Rotor"
Rotor couldn't think of a response to
that, but he didn't need to.
Bunnie
leaned forward and they embraced in a kiss more passionate than the
one of
a few days ago. They stayed like that
for what seemed to be an
eternity
before pulling back.
"Mmm, that was nice," said
Bunnie "You ever kiss a girl before?"
"No," admitted Rotor.
"Well, in that case, I'm
impressed," Bunnie said, the smile never
leaving
her face.
As they released, Bunnie glanced over and saw
the CD player.
"What's that for?" she asked.
"I thought that maybe we could . . .
well, you know, perhaps we
could .
. .dance?" he said.
"I'd love to," replied Bunnie.
Rotor walked over and turned on the
music. It was slow and
beautiful. Returning to Bunnie, he took her in his arms
and they began to
dance
slowly around the garden. Never for a
moment did they take their
eyes
off each other. They simply gazed
lovingly at each other as if in a
trance
while their legs moved them about in perfect rhythm.
Sonic and Sally were walking down the path
by the garden when they
heard
the soft music. Pausing by the garden
entrance, they observed the
two
lovers dancing in the moonlight. Sonic
smiled.
"Looks like my advice paid off,"
he whispered to Sally.
"How do you know it wasn't my advice
that helped," Sally asked.
"The hedgehog knows," he
whispered boastfully.
"Oh really," said Sally
"Well, why don't we leave these two alone
and
discuss the matter in private."
"Sounds good to me. Lead the way," replied Sonic.
Sonic and Sally quietly slipped away as
Rotor and Bunnie continued to
dance. As they did, they both realized in their
hearts that they would be
together
forever. They would never leave each
other side and they would love
each
other always. The feeling between them
were now too strong to break.
They
knew they would remember this day for the rest of their lives.
A wise person once said:
A day needs not a name to be made
special,
Nor does it need a victorious
battle,
Nor a brutal slaughter,
All it needs is the true love of two
people.
For Bunnie and Rotor, as they danced the
night way under the stars,
there
was nothing truer than that.
THE END