Of Past Regrets And Future Fears

Author's notes: While I've tried making Past Regrets easy for anybody to follow, I would still advise you to read Knight Errand first in order to gain a better understanding of everything that'll occur in here. I will also give out the same warning that I gave at the beginning of that particular story for this one: if you dislike Antoine to the point where you're going to leave me reviews griping about how much you hate him, then you don't even need to be reading Past Regrets.

This is not going to be your typical Sonic fanfic, especially in regards to how I perceive the characters, their behavior, and interrelations. A number of them will be taken out of their comfort zones. So if you didn't like the ideas and opinions presented in Knight Errand, then in all likelihood you're probably not going to like this story either. Don't say you weren't warned. Everyone else, please enjoy. Also, if you're interested, follow my blog for story notes and the like.

Many thanks to the talented Cakeless Pixels for beta-reading this for me. One more thing of note - since the passing of Christine Cavanaugh, Bunnie Rabbot's voice actress in Sonic SatAM, on December 22, 2014, I thought I'd dedicate this story to her for helping bring a character with such fantastic potential to life.

Chapter One: One Summer Night

Walking slowly through the Great Forest, Antoine yawned widely in the cool of the early morning air. He was still sleepy, and wondered why Stormblaze had requested he rise so early. The other Knothole Freedom Fighters were still dozing inside their cozy huts (except for the dragon Dulcy, who spent her nights roosting in a tree) back in Knothole Village, and Antoine was longing for his own bed.

Antoine hadn't had much time to prepare breakfast for himself, as was his usual morning custom, so he had settled for grabbing a granola bar and an apple on the way out. Not the rich fare he was used to eating, but it'd have to do. The coydog blinked and ducked his head, not liking how the gold rays of sunlight shining through the trees struck him squarely in his face.

While those who knew him were used to seeing Antoine in his blue military jacket, with its distinctive gold and crimson points, after returning from his grand quest across the Great Continent and beyond with Stormblaze Oakrune, he'd taken to wearing a simple cream-colored long-sleeved tunic and a brown leather sword belt for his sabre. Today though, he was carrying a heavy wooden practice sword, or waster, with him instead. The military jacket, which had once belonged to Antoine's distinguished father General Armand D'Coolette, was back at Antoine's hut, safely stored inside a glass case which hung on the wall beside the portrait of his mother and father, where he could always see both. After the conclusion of his and Stormblaze's search for a set of powerful magical artifacts, the Deep Power Stones, he had made the choice to stop wearing it and keep it as an heirloom instead, not wishing to risk irreparably damaging it. The uniform was one of the few physical objects he had left to remember his missing father by. His decision to stop wearing it was also the result of wanting to become his own person instead of just a carbon copy of his father.

Wishing to assist his new friend and with no real place of his own to go, Stormblaze had accompanied Antoine back to Northhamer and the Kingdom of Acorn. His new quarters were at Tanforan Falls, which was located a fair distance from Knothole, but Antoine didn't mind, especially now that he was finally shaking off the last vestiges of sleepiness. The walk was worth it, and the forest was gorgeous to behold in its summer splendor. The plant life and woodland animals basked in the warm glory of the rising sun as they went about their lives. Along the way, Antoine consumed his granola bar and then started on the apple. Whatever it was that Stormblaze was going to have him doing today, no doubt it would require him to be at his best, and that meant getting something in his belly. After more than half an hour's walk, he heard the waterfall well before he actually saw it, and knew he was near.

When the falls finally came into view, Antoine paused to take everything in. From atop a vertical cliff wall in front of him, a white ribbon of water plunged through the air, roaring like some mighty beast. It was collected in a wide but fairly shallow basin at the foot of the cliff. Sunlight reflected from off the pool's surface, throwing dancing streamers of shimmering white light onto the beige cliff walls. A fish leapt out of the water to snap at an insect flying overhead, its deep green scales glistening wetly in the light. Its gambit successful, the fish landed back in its watery abode with a loud smack.

To top off the fairy tale-esque scene, standing up on the cliff was none other than Stormblaze himself. Poised against the pristine blue sky, the dark blue-gray unicorn was staring at the horizon, towards the far reaches of the dark green wooded landscape, his expression one of utmost seriousness. The breeze whipped his black mane and tail-tuft and rustled the dark forest green tunic he was dressed in. The snow-white blaze that streaked down the length of Stormblaze's face and partly served as his namesake was noticeable even to Antoine from where he stood. The marking stood out vividly against the darkness of his fur.

For a moment Antoine just remained where he was, quietly admiring him. These days he sometimes found himself wishing he could be a unicorn himself. Perhaps then the other Freedom Fighters would like him better than they did. After all, they had been just as awed in Stormblaze's presence as Antoine himself had been when the two of them first met and Stormblaze revealed he was a unicorn.

Snapping from out of his daydream, Antoine waved up at him. "Stormblaze!"

Stormblaze turned his head in his direction. Then, using the rocks that jutted out from the cliff face and indentations in the cliff side as footholds, he descended to the ground as fleetly and sure-footedly as a mountain goat. "Well, I trust you're ready to work today?" He asked as he approached Antoine.

"I have been working every day of coming here." Antoine honestly answered. It was true. As Stormblaze had not wished to stay in Knothole, he needed somewhere else to live. Antoine was rather proud of the fact that he had found the perfect place for him right there in the Great Forest. There was a large cavern hidden behind the waterfall. Ages ago, another unicorn named Snowfire had made her home right there at Tanforan. While she had been a much-honored member of the royal court of then-ruler Queen Astoria of the House of Sandlin, Snowfire preferred the relative peace and quiet of nature when not needed at the castle. Antoine had spent several days helping Stormblaze clean out the cave and make it suitable for habitation again. Even though Stormblaze now had a waterfall for a next-door neighbor, he'd expressed his appreciation for Tanforan's natural beauty as well as Antoine for bringing him there in the first place. The area possessed a genuine sense of tranquility and seclusion. Stormblaze would be safe from Robotnik as well.

Smiling enigmatically, Stormblaze held up an index finger. "Ah, but this will be an entirely different sort of work from sweeping and dusting. Come, have a look."

Intrigued, Antoine followed as Stormblaze led him into the forest, a little ways away from the falls. In a clearing there, half of a log had been suspended from the sturdy branch of tree with a chain. Going up to the log, Stormblaze rapped it with a knuckle. "I told you I was going to make you a pell. Eighty whacks on this every day will build your strength and endurance, I reckon."

"Only eighty? Are you feeling well?"

Stormblaze fixed his pupil with an apparent look of disapproval. "Care to make it a hundred then, my wise-aleck little friend?"

Cheerfully grinning, Antoine replied, "That would be impossible. My arms would fall off!" He raised the waster into the air before his countenance became serious once more. "So when can I be starting?" He actually remembered little of pell training other than the fact that the sword combat instructors at the La Valette Military Academy would have students practice on them, but it didn't exactly take a genius to figure out that the object was to strike the pell with your waster.

"Right now. Mind, start off slow just to get used to it. And strike with intent. Act as though you're actually hitting your enemy."

Nodding, Antoine rolled up his sleeves before raising his waster again and getting to it. Even though training like this was hard work, he was glad to have been granted an opportunity to improve his lackluster sword fighting skills in order to help himself and others. While his swordsmanship had become a tad better then what it was prior to his meeting Stormblaze, a skilled fighter like the unicorn could still easily defeat Antoine.

The forest resounded again and again with the monotonous sound of Antoine's waster as he kept striking at the pell. Not exactly the most engaging or glamorous training exercise there was, but if Stormblaze said it was going to help him, he trusted his word. After his fiftieth hit, Antoine was feeling winded, and his arms were beginning to tire. Stormblaze told him he could stop after the seventieth hit, much to his relief.

While Antoine was preoccupied, Stormblaze took the liberty of preparing a very basic breakfast for them both consisting of bread, raspberry jam, fried mushrooms, slices of tomato, assorted fruits, and cheese. Some of the food as well as the cooking supplies he had actually received from Knothole courtesy of Antoine and Rosie, Antoine and his teammates' old guardian. Stormblaze invited Antoine to come sit down by a big, broad, flat rock near the basin which he used as a makeshift table, and they ate and talked together.

"Rosie is holding a celebration in your honor later this day, and is wanting you to attend." Antoine informed Stormblaze at one point.

"A celebration? What did I do?" Stormblaze asked, baffled.

"You are the first unicorn to have set foot in Northamer in well over two hundred years."

"Hmm. Well it's a bit much I think, but one can't turn down free food, now can they?"

"Oui, I am imagining how hard the prospect of getting to eat lots of delicious food must be for you." Antoine dryly commented before remembering something else. "Oh, some guests are coming to meet you too."

Stormblaze frowned. "Why? Are these guests aware that I am a unicorn?"

"I am not certain. Sally knows them. One of them is a stranger to moi, and I have not been around the others much. When I was I… well, behaving like I did when you and I were first meeting. So they probably think I am a big joke." His drooping ears perfectly conveyed what he was feeling just then – there were so many mistakes he had made in the past that he wished he could go back in time and fix.

"Well, why not become reacquainted with them tonight, show them the new you?"

Antoine regarded him . "I suppose I could…" He didn't want to get his hopes too high for the evening, but wondered if it would possible for him to try befriending some of them. One could never have too many friends, right? He had been learning how to become a better conversationalist by not making everything all about him and being a good listener. Would they like the new him?

Finishing off the last few morsels on his plate, Stormblaze then sighed in satisfaction. Antoine was still eating. Stormblaze marveled at what a fastidious and careful eater he was, though he knew that he was enjoying it. He decided to wait until Antoine was through before starting yet another conversation. There was an important issue that they still had not yet breached, even though he knew it was something Antoine had been trying to tiptoe around all day. When there was nothing but a scant few crumbs left on Antoine's plate, Stormblaze struck before the coydog could utter a single word. "Well? Have you spoken to any of them yet?"

The "them" he referred to were the other Knothole Freedom Fighters. While Antoine had always known that relations between he and them had been steadily deteriorating over the years, he hadn't been aware of how bad it truly was or of his own role in it until a stopover with the Wolf Pack during the quest. When Antoine had secretly ventured off with Seff and Luna, Lupe's niece and nephew, the Skinwalker, a malicious shapechanging shaman, had attempted to trap him by posing in succession as Princess Sally Acorn, Sonic, and Rotor, showing him disturbing visions, and wearing him down emotionally. While it'd all been a ploy by the Skinwalker to actually kill and eat him, what Antoine had seen still rocked him to his very core even now. He very nearly hadn't returned to Knothole until speaking to Stormblaze and Cassiopeia, the queen of the group of unicorns living on Avalonia, had made him change his mind. The latter was in fact the one who'd convinced him to attempt apologizing to Sonic and the others for his previous behavior as well as forgive them for how they treated him. also, Antoine had decided that he didn't want to leave (if things did indeed end up coming to that) without telling Bunnie, Tails, and Rosie, the only three individuals in Knothole he felt he was still on genuinely good terms with, goodbye first.

Antoine shifted his gaze off to the side. "Well…"

Before he even finished his sentence Stormblaze already knew what his answer was. "Things may turn disastrous if you drag this situation out, Little Wolf."

A miserable-looking Antoine nodded. "I know, I know. But… it is just that I am being so nervous to confront them. Who wants to hear other Mobians tell them how much they are hating them? What if it doesn't work?"

"I understand the prospect of speaking to them is daunting, but doing so is better than just lurking around and leaving things the way they were before."

His formerly ebullient mood now dampened, Antoine didn't say a word. Instead, he just stared at the ground, slowly tracing patterns in the dirt with his waster. No, things could not continue on the way they had before his life-changing journey – it had been a stagnant, soul-crushingly wretched existence - but he could only see a confrontation with Sonic ending in a fight, and he wasn't sure if Sally or Rotor would even bother to hear him out.

Stormblaze thought for a moment. "Tell you what. Speak to me as though I am Sonic." He gestured to himself. "Apologize, then say you forgive me."

Antoine's intrigued azure eyes regarded Stormblaze's calm gray ones. "You will be pretending to be Sonic?"

"Don't think I can pull it off? He's not exactly a deep fellow you know."

Antoine shrugged. "Alright." He could follow Stormblaze's logic. Talking to him was certainly much easier then it was talking to Sonic. Oh, but he couldn't think like that – Stormblaze was supposed to be Sonic just then.

"What do you want, Ant?" Stormblaze asked, unsuccessfully trying to drop his British accent and sound flatter.

"Sonic, I, er, know that we are having our differential -"

An in-character Stormblaze rolled his eyes. "You mean differences."

"Oh! Uh, differences…"

"More confidence." Stormblaze mouthed.

Antoine nodded to himself. Right. Sonic might respect him more if he showed more self-assurance. But how was he supposed to be confident with his poor English? Taking a deep breath, he decided to start over again. "Sonic, I know we do not get along very well. But I am wishing to apologize for how I was behaving before. I was a very foolish person then. And I would like to forget – no, be forgiving you for how you have treated me."

Stormblaze began clapping. "And that's all you have to do." He told Antoine in his normal voice.

"But say he is not listening to moi? What should I do?"

"Walk away. You did your part, so you do not need to stand there tolerating his rudeness. And if you do not know how to say a certain word, then do not use it. Think of a different way to express yourself that is easier for you."

Even though he was still uneasy at the prospect of the task that lay before him, Antoine could feel his spirits lifting some. But then again, speaking with Stormblaze usually tended to make him feel better. He was wise and had a way of reassuring the normally anxious Antoine. Antoine pushed himself to his feet. "Thank you, Stormblaze. If I can, I will try speaking to them after the luncheon today. Speaking of which, I must get back and help Rosie."

Stormblaze simply waved him off before adding, "One more thing - if you find yourself feeling too tired to talk tonight, then wait until later when you're more refreshed and alert. No use in trying to hold a serious conversation when you are dead on your feet - tired." He added for Antoine's benefit. Stormblaze had been helping him gain a better grasp of English, and that included things like expressions and idioms. So far, it seemed to be working.

"Everything should be finished by 5:00," Antoine said before preparing to depart. "I can be returning later to get you, if you wish?"

Stormblaze nodded. "Alright. Don't suppose you need any extra help with anything?"

"Non. You are the guest of honor. Rosie would want you to... how do you say? Be taking it easy."

Back in Knothole, Antoine went to work assisting Rosie in her culinary endeavors. Sally and Bunnie helped them out wherever they could, though as neither girl was nearly as enthusiastic about cooking as Antoine was (Sally especially), the pair spent most of their time readying the rest of the village for the luncheon instead. A couple of the other Freedom Fighters, namely a certain Eurasian hedgehog, had been less then inclined to pitch in with the preparations after learning who it was all for, but Rosie, Bunnie, and Sally convinced them to lend a hand (though Sonic only did so after being promised a platter of chill dogs in turn later).

The luncheon was to be held in the same treeless area near the hideaway stump Dulcy would use as an airstrip. It was big enough to accommodate all of the Knotholers and their guests, in addition to offering an especially scenic view of the forest.

When the time came, Antoine left to fetch Stormblaze. Upon returning, they found Rosie waiting for them. The old woodchuck had decided to forgo her usual simple blue dress and red cloak for more formal wear – an ankle-length dress in shades of blue and azure, with long white sleeves accented by red puffed sleeves. Her ash-grey headfur, which gleamed silver in the sunlight, had been pinned up in its customary bun with a hairpin featuring her namesake, a red rose.

Stormblaze glanced around at their surroundings. Knothole had been fancied up since the last time he'd seen it – well, fancied up about as much as one could gussy up a village out in the middle of a huge forest. A veritable rainbow of paper lanterns and streamers that were blue and red, the official Acorn colors, had been strung from the trees around them. Beds of brightly-colored flowers seemed to stand at attention. "Miss, um…"

"MacCoshin. Rosie if you like." A big smile adorned her timeworn but kindly face. Although she and Stormblaze had been introduced before, one could easily tell that she was well and truly delighted by him even now. After all, as a kit, Rosie had been brought up on stories of stately unicorns performing acts of charity and watching over the land.

"Miss MacCoshin… er, Rosie, I truly appreciate the effort you and the other villagers have put into all of this, but I don't think it was really necessary…"

"Oh no, it's no trouble at all sir, really!" Rosie reassured him in her pleasant Scottish burr. "It's so rare for us to have a distinguished guest such as yourself here."

Stormblaze smiled affably. "Please milady, my father is sir. You may call me Stormblaze - if you so wish." By then he had noticed the table, which was loaded with food, only several feet away.

"Thank you." Rosie ducked her head, smiling bashfully. "Antoine and the others helped put everything together."

"Well, it all smells and looks wonderful."

"Hello again, Stormblaze." The youthful voice of Sally cheerfully greeted as she came over to where he, Rosie, and Antoine were all standing together, followed by five other unfamiliar Mobians. "I hope you're enjoying the Great Forest. Listen, I'd like for you to meet some friends of mine's."

Stormblaze only just barely stopped himself from rolling his eyes. He was still not keen on meeting these friends of Sally's. As for the girl herself, Antoine's accounts about Sally had failed to earn her Stormblaze's respect. Having met her for the first time a few days ago, he did indeed find her grating. To him, she was exactly like what he had predicated: obliviously entitled and imperious. But he decided to be polite that day for Rosie's sake. Even though he still felt it was all too much, the luncheon was her idea, and he bore the older lady no ill will. Readying himself, he turned his attention to the strangers standing together in a row behind Sally.

One of them was a royal purple-furred platypus wearing a utility belt around her torso similar to the manner in which Rotor the walrus wore his tool belt, but she had the addition of a brown leather utility belt. Then there was a brown porcupine who wore blue and white sneakers and matching gloves, a pig in a blue vest and utility belt, a nine-banded armadillo who had a yellow-orange and white paisley bandanna tied around his neck, and lastly, a tall light brown bloodhound garbed in a tan short-sleeved button-down shirt and matching pants. Conan was quite obviously an adult, while the others seemed considerably younger, quite possibly as young as Sonic was.

Sally went down the line, introducing each of them as she did. "This is Penelope, Dylan, Hamlin, Arlo, and Conan."

"Hello. 'Tis a pleasure." Stormblaze politely bowed his head in their direction.

"Likewise, Mr. Oakrune." Penelope, the platypus, smiled and mirrored his gesture.

"Stormblaze is just fine."

"Penelope, Dylan, Hamlin, and Arlo are Freedom Fighters I've personally collected from nearby villages. And Conan's part of our spy network in Robotropolis." Sally explained. "When I told them about you, they just had to meet you in person!"

"My great-great-great-great grandmother's best friend's brother knew a blue jay who met a unicorn who had him deliver a message to his cousin in Summervale!" Dylan excitedly told Stormblaze.

"Really? How fascinating..." Managing to discreetly catch Antoine's eye, Stormblaze quickly sent him a look which was clearly recognizable as "get me out of here."

Antoine began thinking hard. How could he help Stormblaze? Antoine had just bought him there, so it might appear strange to hustle him away again, to say nothing of upsetting those who'd come all that way to meet him. Perhaps he could tell Sally's guests that Stormblaze wasn't comfortable with all the attention and needed his space.

Mercifully, it was good old Rosie who swooped in to the rescue. "Why don't all you young people come make yourselves comfortable? The food's going to get cold."

Stormblaze jumped on her offer immediately. "Splendid idea, milady." Without waiting for the others, he headed straight for the table. Antoine had to power walk just to keep up.

Most of the other Knotholers were already there and ready to eat, though courtesy kept them from touching anything before everyone else was seated. Sonic though had his chin resting on one hand, while the fingers on his left tapped the tabletop impatiently as he regarded Stormblaze with a combination of boredom and irritation. Unlike Rosie and most of the others there, Sonic was hardly a fan of Stormblaze's, owing to their rocky first encounter.

Once Rosie sat down and made herself comfortable at the head of the table, she asked who wanted to say grace before they began. Conan obliged her, and after he was through, everyone dug in. Undeterred by the presence of company, Stormblaze heartily ate enough to rival Sonic and Rotor; the former especially was known for his big appetite. After all, in order to sustain his incredibly fast metabolism and be able to run as fast as he could, Sonic needed to consume a lot of calories.

To Antoine's surprise, their guests seemed to be as eager to speak to him as they were Stormblaze. That was certainly quite a change of pace from their previous interactions. At first he was a little nervous speaking to them, worried about making a good impression, but answered all their questions and comments without any bragging or gloating on his part. He noticed that Penelope, Dylan, Hamlin, and Arlo did seem to respond differently to him then they previously might've. Their surprised reactions to his change in character were somewhat noticeable, Dylan and Hamlin's especially, but they responded to his politeness and openness in kind. Antoine didn't know Conan at all, but thought he seemed a decent enough fellow. He was rather charismatic, and made for an interesting conversationalist. The only thing Antoine didn't cover and had no intentions of doing so was his encounter in his tale with the Skinwalker. That was an extremely personal experience.

"Antoine, I heard you actually met the queen of the unicorns. What was she like?" Hamlin asked at one point.

"Queen Cassiopeia. She is very beautiful. Her fur is the color of gold, and her mane very fair. She has eyes that are being the color of spring violets. She was very gracious and elegant, like mademoiselle Lupe." Antoine couldn't help smiling a little as he recalled the palomino doe. Out of all the Avalonian unicorns, she and Stormblaze's mother Charis had left the deepest impressions on him with their serenity, kindness, and sensible natures.

"Wow. Just think, there's a whole island of unicorns out there!" Dylan exclaimed, looking around at his cohorts with wide-eyed excitement. "Can you guys believe it? I can't!"

"It almost sounds like a fairy tale." Conan commented offhandedly. Dylan's behavior had him smiling in amusement.

"Yes, only this fairy tale is quite real, as you can see for yourself." Stormblaze gestured to himself. He seemed to be slowly but surely unwinding, speaking more freely with Penelope and her friends as well with Bunnie, Rosie, Tails, and of course Antoine. On the other hand, he didn't have much to say to anyone else there - not that he really wanted to though. His opinions of them were about as positive as they were of Sally.

Although Sonic was making a big show of acting as if he didn't care that Antoine and Stormblaze were the center of attention, shoveling the chili dogs which had been pledged to him earlier into his mouth at a rapid pace, Antoine could still tell that he wasn't enjoying it. Sonic wasn't one for subtlety, and even Antoine could read his body language and expressions. Every now and then, Sonic would either quietly scoff or roll his eyes whenever Penelope or someone else questioned them about or remarked on something related to either one of them. It was much harder for Antoine to tell what the other Knotholers were thinking. If they disliked Stormblaze and Antoine being the men of the hour (so to speak), then they weren't showing it.

It was when Sally posed one particular question to Stormblaze that things took a turn for the uncomfortable. "So, when can we expect the rest of your glory to come join you?"

Stormblaze ceased eating and glanced over at her. "Beg pardon?"

The hybrid squirrel was looking directly at him. "The other unicorns. They are coming to help us fight Robotnik, right?"

All eyes were on Stormblaze.

Hiding his displeasure at being put on the spot like that, Stormblaze answered, "I do not know where you have gotten that idea from, but no other unicorns are coming. At least not anytime soon. I am the only one who has ever left Avalonia."

"How come?" Tails asked before anybody else could.

"Because…" Briefly, Stormblaze met Antoine's eyes. "The others still worry Hunters lurk about. And they are unsure about becoming involved with a war they feel is not their problem."

His admission served to effectively stun everyone. Well, almost everyone.

The sudden shift in the conversation served to animate Sonic. "Huh. These unicorns sound like a real bunch of snobs. Shocking." He said, eyeballing Stormblaze. Obviously he still had hard feelings towards Stormblaze for having humiliated him in front of the other Knotholers previously.

That time, Stormblaze didn't take the bait. He'd save arguing with Sonic for a better time.

"The unicorns said that?" Hamlin demanded.

"More or less." Stormblaze bluntly admitted.

Not willing to let Rosie's luncheon go south and leave everyone with the impression that all the Avalonian unicorns were apathetic isolationists, Antoine quickly ran interference. "But Queen Cassiopeia was telling moi she must be speaking to the bards and the elders first to convince them to leave Avalonia and help fight Robotnik. She wants to help us."

His statement seemed to relieve the others - somewhat.

"Well, least this here queen sounds reasonable." Bunnie pointed out. "Ya'll think she'd wanna to get together and talk?"

"I don't see why not." Stormblaze replied. "You would have to go to her though, of course."

"Wait. If she's so willing to help, then why doesn't she come to see us?" Rotor asked, addressing Stormblaze for the first time since the luncheon started.

Stormblaze started to deliver a scathing reply – did Rotor honestly believe that a bunch of xenophobes would just allow their queen to journey beyond their kingdom? – but he caught himself in time and smiled thinly at him instead. "Not afraid of a little voyage now, are we?"

Bunnie turned to the walrus. "Come on sug, I think it sounds excitin'!"

"Maybe..." He replied, not sounding especially enthusiastic. "Someone should stay here and keep an eye on things."

While Sonic was also looking like he'd rather pluck out his own spikes then go see Queen Cassiopeia, Tails put on what he believed was his most winning smile and aimed it Sally's way. "Can I please come, Aunt Sally? I promise not to get in the way!"

Sally smiled at the red fox in return. "Tell you what. We'll see what happens when the time comes for us to go, okay?"

"Sally, if you don't need us to remain behind, we'd like to accompany you as well." Penelope said, briefly glancing over at Arlo, Dylan, and Hamlin.

"Yeah! You might need some extra force." Hamlin added, earning unimpressed looks from Penelope and Sally both. "What? He's the one who said that most of the unicorns don't care about what happens to the rest of Mobius." He pointed at Stormblaze. "What if they're not friendly towards outsiders?"

"This is supposed to be a diplomatic mission, remember?" Sally pointed out. "I would hope that things don't turn hostile, especially since we're not going there armed or anything."

"I'm more worried about being bored to death by a bunch of stuck-up old unicorns." Sonic mumbled under his breath.

"Oh, stuck-up unicorns bore me too!" Stormblaze grinned toothily at him, though it looked more like he was baring his teeth.

Sonic just stared at him before shaking his head, frowning. "… You're weird, man."

"Is that why you decided to leave your island, Stormblaze?" Conan asked. "Because of the other unicorns?"

Stormblaze, who was wearing a smug smirk on his face at having provoked such a reaction in his nemesis, turned to Conan. "I needed a change of scenery. I found I like the outside world so much that I chose to stay."

"You know, if I was a unicorn, I'd never leave an island paradise!" That was Dulcy. Due to her great size, she'd been given her own table adjacent to the one everyone else was at. "I'd play all day, and run through the meadows, and watch the stars at night!"

Antoine glanced at Stormblaze to see if he had any reaction to what she'd just said. Dulcy sometimes had an aggravating tendency to blurt things out without really thinking, but she and the others didn't have any clue of what Stormblaze's life had been like on Avalonia. He supposed one could not be too irritated with her.

Stormblaze took a long draft of iced tea before setting his glass back down. "Living a life free of responsibility is all well and good for some creatures, but I aspire to more than merely idling away the days on a rock out in the middle of the ocean. I have places to go and important things to do."

Still sitting at the table, Antoine glanced around. The sun had finally set, leaving them with a clear evening sky and pleasantly warm temperatures. After the wonderful meal, everybody else had drifted off into small groups or pairs, speaking with friends or otherwise entertaining one another. Stormblaze had privately wished him luck. Antoine cast a glance over at his mentor. He and Rosie were sitting together off to one side talking. Stormblaze held a glass of punch in one hand. Meeting Antoine's eyes, he inclined his head to him before slightly raising his cup in his direction.

Now was Antoine's chance. He could do this. In spite of his efforts to muster up his courage, he wasn't eager to approach any of the others, especially while they were together as a group. For one thing, he didn't feel comfortable bearing himself in front of a small audience, and it was all too easy for him to envision Sonic and Rotor ganging up on him and talking over him. He was uncertain as to what would happen if he tried speaking to Sally and Bunnie when it was just the two of them. It was largely the reason why he had stayed to himself since coming back to Knothole.

Movement captured his eye, and he turned his head to see what it was. It turned out to be Sally. Antoine made to approach her, but before he could stand she made a beeline right for Stormblaze. Ears wilting in disappointment, he slumped back down in his chair. Great. Sally had been really insistent on getting Stormblaze's ear. He recalled her confused reaction when he told her that Stormblaze wanted to live on his own while in Northamer. Antoine had decided to omit the real reason why Stormblaze had no desire to live among the Knotholers. He may not have been as captivated by Sally as he once was, but it still would've been awkward, not to mention rather impolite on his part, to just come out and say that Stormblaze disliked her and the others. He felt it was up to Stormblaze as to whether or not he wanted to tell Sally how he felt about her.

Perhaps Sonic then? Currently he was crowing about something or rather for a surprisingly small captive audience. Antoine thought back to Sonic's behavior during the luncheon. No, approaching him was out of the question. He wondered if he'd ever get an opportunity to talk to the hedgehog. Sonic seemed to be the type of person who really clung to grudges.

The only other persons left on his list were Bunnie and Rotor. At the moment, Rotor was busy speaking to Arlo, though it seemed like Arlo was the one doing most of the talking and Rotor was just listening, as seemed to be the norm for the walrus. 'Well, beauty before the beast.' Antoine thought before setting his sights on Bunnie. She had just started to clear the table ('All by herself,' Antoine noted. 'Why is no one else helping?'). While lending her a helping hand, he could try broaching the subject to her.

Taking in a deep breath to steady his nerves, Antoine started towards the cottontail rabbit, who was standing further away from him, at the very end of the table. Her name was on the tip of his tongue…

"Can I talk to you, Antoine?"

Recognizing Penelope's voice, Antoine stopped and turned to see her coming his way. Feeling frustration arising within him, Antoine forced himself to civilly respond, "Yes, mademoiselle?"

"Do you think you could come to Sanctuary and tell the kids there about how you and Stormblaze found the Deep Power Stones? I'm sure they'd love to hear it."

Antoine had not been expecting that. "Are you really thinking so?" Sanctuary was a village which primarily functioned as both a home and safe house for orphaned children. Freedom Fighters who were serving in the field could also bring their children there for protection. Because of that, its location was a closely guarded secret among the Resistance.

"Oh, definitely!" Penelope nodded. "It's a remarkable story, and you know how kids are. Some new arrivals came in from Emerald Hill a few days ago, and they could really use something to lift their spirits."

Antoine nodded gravely. Memories of when he and the other children from the Acorns' palace had first set foot in Knothole after fleeing war-torn Mobotropolis, and their fear and confusion at having been unwillingly parted from their loved ones were still painfully clear as a deep cut to him. "I would love to!" He declared. He would gladly do his part to cheer up the transplanted children. "Just let me know what is being the best date to be doing so."

"Great! Give me a bit, and I'll get in touch with you so we can coordinate a good time for you to stop by."

"Very well then." While Penelope had turned out to be quite nice to speak with after all, and Antoine would have been lying if he said that he wasn't rather pleased to discover the reason why she wanted to talk to him, he had some important business to take care of at the moment. They could talk more later. "If you will please pardon me, mademoiselle? There is something I must be attending to."

"Oh, sure thing. See you around." She took off, but not before giving him a friendly little wave as she went.

Antoine dipped his head to her, then strode towards Bunnie. His discussion with Penelope had left him with a rather proud smile on his face. "May I be helping you with this, Bunnie?"

Glancing up at him from her work, she smiled. "I'd sure appreciate it, sugah. Thank you for bein' such a gentleman."

"You are most welcome." Antoine began making his way down the other side of the table opposite of Bunnie, stacking dirty plates as he went. At the same time, the gears in his brain were working overtime as he struggled to find the right words. "Uh, so… I have been doing very much thinking, and -"

"Sorry, don't supposed you could grab that bowl there for me? My hands are full."

"Oh, oui." Antoine obliged her, reach for a large salad bowl and setting it on top of the assembled plates. "So have you ever -"

"Best to get all this cleared away right now. Everyone's gonna be feelin' too tired and lazy to do it later." Bunnie continued. "You know how it is."

"Oui, and - er, since we are speaking of everyone, I just…"

"Hold that thought darlin'." She held up a finger, silencing hm. "I'll be right back." Gathering up a handful of plates and silverware, she hustled away with her load.

Watching her, Antoine then raised his head to the twilight sky and uttered the lightest of groans. Why wasn't anything going right for him? It was easier to talk with Penelope and her friends then it was the Knotholers. At least they listened to him.

Earlier, while Antoine and Penelope had been engaged in conversation, Sally thought she'd do the same with Stormblaze. Ever since he had shown up on the scene, Sally had started hunting down every single book she could locate in Knothole that either discussed or mentioned unicorns. While she had about the average Mobian's level of knowledge regarding their species (unicorns had not been one of her major areas of study, after all), she wanted to find out everything there was to know about them. With their miraculous powers, the unicorns, even just a single one, could potentially change the tide of the whole war. Their physical might allowed them to go toe-to-toe with Robotnik's robots. Injured and sick Freedom Fighters could be healed in the blink of an eye and return to duty. Unicorns would also be very helpful in territories that had unsafe water sources.

"Enjoying yourself?" She asked as she walked up alongside Stormblaze, who had arose to stretch his lean legs and keep a watchful eye on Antoine.

He gave her a passing glance, then went back to observing Antoine. "Yes, princess. Everything is enjoyable."

"Oh please, call me Sally. I insist!" She dismissed his formality with a wave of her hands before bringing a hand to her chest. "I'm a normal Mobian just like anyone else."

"I'm sure."

He said nothing further, but Sally was undaunted. "I think you'd be interested to know that another unicorn used to live right here in the Great Forest back in the tenth-hundredth century. Her name was Snowfire, and she was Queen Astoria's personal physician."

"Yes, Antoine has told me about her."

Sally's expression morphed into one of surprise. "He did?" She wasn't aware that Antoine even knew anything about unicorns. From what she recalled, he was still really into those old-fashioned tales about knights and things like that.

"Yes. While he was helping me get set up at the falls."

"Oh. Did he now?"

Stormblaze turned his head to give her a sidelong glance, one rough eyebrow raised. "Yes…"

Sally tried to laugh a little. "Wow, the two of you certainly have grown close."

"We have spent a great deal of time together on the road." Stormblaze replied, maintaining his disinterested tone and straight face.

"Well, speaking of being on the road, it sounds like you've done quite a bit of traveling. Have you ever come across any rumors of more unicorns hiding someplace? If so, then do you think they're isolationists like your glory?"

"I have not heard anything about other unicorns out there, sorry."

"Attentiiion, ladies and germs!"

That very familiar voice calling out over the gathering caused Stormblaze and Sally to turn as one to see what was happening.

Sonic stood posed atop a tree stump, looking for all the world like a showman with the manner he had his hands raised in the air. Everyone else, including a dismayed Antoine, stopped whatever it was that they were doing at the moment and turned curious eyes towards him.

Seeing that he was successful in commanding everybody's attention, Sonic grinned broadly. "Hey guys, thanks for coming out tonight! Listen up - I got a major announcement. I've been perfecting three totally new speed tricks, and you lucky people are gonna get a sneak peek tonight before I bust 'em out on Buttnik!"

By then, Bunnie had returned to continue cleaning up, but was watching Sonic with everyone else. Clearing his throat in an effort to redirect her attention to him, Antoine tried to speak again. "Pardon Bunnie -"

"What if I heated things up by jumping the bonfire?" Sonic asked his captive audience, pointing at the fire that had been started earlier in order to provide the grounds with some extra light. A scattering of excited shouts and cheers of approval and was the response.

"Well, better go and get my first aid kit just in case." Shaking her head, Bunnie left again, this time heading for her hut.

For the second time that evening, Antoine found himself alone. As his disbelieving eyes followed Sonic, who had started bounding back and forth over the flames, using his speed to aid him and successively boost the height of his jumps higher and higher each time, his stare became a glare. That was Sonic's big important announcement? He did stuff like that all the time! Honestly, if Antoine wasn't so attached to his lovely golden locks, then he would've ripped them out of his head right then and there. He had just gotten away from Penelope, only to have Sonic thwart his efforts to speak with Bunnie?

Antoine wasn't the only one irritated by Sonic's antics. "Oh, for the love of - Sonic!" An exasperated Sally slapped her forehead before stamping over to where Sonic was busy showboating.

Taking advantage of the distraction, Stormblaze noiselessly slipped away. Antoine jumped when he seemed to emerge out of nowhere beside him. Glancing up at Stormblaze, Antoine gestured at Sonic and Sally and then looked back to him, an expression of utter frustration written on his face.

For his part, Stormblaze was expressionless as he regarded the bickering twosome for a moment. Then, he looked at Antoine and winked. He jerked his head to the left, then turned and walked off in that direction.

Getting the message, Antoine followed after him. When the raised voices back in Knothole were subdued and distant behind them, Stormblaze finally stopped and shut his eyes, craggy features serene. "Ah, peace and quiet. Now this is more like it."

"They do that just about every other day." Antoine grumped, glaring sullenly at the ground. "It never truly struck me how annoying it is until now."

"I can only imagine. Well, how did you fare in speaking to Bunnie?"

"Oh, you mean the talk I was never able to be having because I kept being interrupted?" Antoine snapped. "Oh, just wonderful!"

"What happened?"

"Penelope happened. I was finally excusing myself, but here Sonic is coming with his foolish announcement about absolutely nothing!" Antoine threw his hands into the air.

Not wanting Antoine to get himself worked up as he was wont to do, Stormblaze called upon his telempathy, mental abilities which allowed him to not only receive emotions from others but transmit them as well, and projected a brief calming wave Antoine's way. "That one was just starved for attention. Can you tell it bothered him that the focus was on us instead of him?"

"I noticed. That was why I did not try speaking to him. It is not taking much for that hedgehog to start a fight, especially when he is being in a bad mood."

"Clever thinking. At least his antics allowed me to escape the princess. She kept pestering me with questions about unicorns. It was terribly tedious." Stormblaze recalled the hint of jealousy that had emanated from Sally when Antoine's name had come up during their one-sided conversation. Now, whatever could she be envious of Antoine for? The unicorn had been under the steady impression that Antoine was completely insignificant to her. But he chose to keep his intriguing observation to himself - for the time being, anyways. "Speaking of which, is there any reason why she still retains the rank of princess? Since her entire family is… absent, shouldn't she go by Queen Sally now?"

Antoine had never thought about that before. "Who knows? Sometimes I am thinking she does not even want to be a princess. I certainly cannot imagine she will enjoy being queen."

Stormblaze made a rude noise in the back of his throat. "Well, if I'm no longer needed here, then I shall go wish Miss Rosie a good night and retire to Tanforan. You should turn in too. Try speaking to them again tomorrow."

"Bien…" All of Antoine's aggravation was unexpectedly being replaced by a sense of tranquility. He felt like returning to his hut, curling up on the sofa, and putting on one of his classical jazz records. But it quickly occurred to him exactly why he would be feeling that way for no clear reason, and annoyance punched through his cozy blanket of calm. "Stormblaze, did you do something to me?"

Stormblaze put on an innocent face. "Something like what?"

"Something like use your telempathy power to make moi tired."

"Not tired, just calmer. You tend to become upset over little things." As he said the word "little", he pinched his right index and thumb fingers together.

Antoine's eyes were accusing as he stared at him. "I thought you said you were not using your powers in that way?"

"I don't use them in harmful ways. If I genuinely wished it, I could have Sonic practically relieving himself in terror, but I choose not to. It just wouldn't be sporting. My pacifying you isn't harmful. Do you believe that I would ever do anything malicious to you, Little Wolf?'

Antoine shook his head. For as long as he had been around Stormblaze, he'd never done anything that had given Antoine any cause for alarm. Yes, he had tricked him one time, but that had been done with the intent of teaching Antoine a lesson about bragging and embellishing things about himself in order to look good. Afterwards, Stormblaze had never played any kind of prank upon him again. It seemed like ages ago when that incident occurred. "Oh no, never! Mon apologies. It is just that I have never been meeting someone who can do what you can. It is still taking me some time to get used to this." He knew Dulcy could tell when someone was telling the truth and when they weren't, but he'd never seen her use that particular power all that much. Sometimes he even forgot that she could even do it. "I suppose that I was, er, how you say, acting loony before. I was just very annoyed because it seemed like nothing was going right for moi this evening."

Stormblaze nodded solemnly. "I could only imagine, what with having to put up with those Mobians for as long as you have."

"Oui. Also, I am not wishing to rely on your telempathy to make moi feel better all the time."

"I would not want you to become dependent on it either. What do you make of this proposal then - if you do not want me using my telempathy on you, then I promise to cease doing so."

"Well… I suppose if I am getting too excited over little things as you say, then maybe you can use it to calm me down."

"Sounds like a reasonable arrangement to me."

He and Antoine shook on their agreement. As the both of them stood together, it dawned on Antoine that only the natural sounds of the forest – the insects and other wildlife – were discernible now, not arguing. Just to make absolutely certain, he turned an ear towards Knothole. "Well, it is sounding like they have finally stopped."

"Thank the Source. I reckon we should return. You should go home and get some sleep, try talking to them again tomorrow."

"I will…" But if that evening was any indication, that was going to be easier said than done, Antoine could just tell.

French translations:

Bien: In this case, okay.

Mademoiselle: Miss.

Moi: me.

Non: No.

Oui: Yes.

French translations:

Bien: In this case, okay.

Mademoiselle: A French title of respect and the equivalent of calling a girl or unmarried woman "miss".

Moi: me.

Non: No.

Oui: Yes.