Sorry about the hiatus. I've been busy with numerous, highly important tasks over the past three weeks (okay okay, Second Life). I'll probably end up editing this chapter later on; I feel it may have been a bit rushed, though I hope you enjoy it regardless. More to come!
Hover Beyond
The May Sun shone brilliantly on a lush meadow west of Knothole, which caused the dew on the verdant expanse to shimmer like gemstones. Tails smiled softly at his ashen-furred girlfriend of four years as they sat on a large picnic sheet. Two picnic baskets, stuffed with a cornucopia of food, lay on one of the edges of the big cloth square. The temperature was rather warm, but a gentle breeze made it feel delightful.
Kaolin peered across the countryside, and a whimsical grin traveled across her muzzle. She whispered, "Such a gorgeous day," before looking back at Tails with her large blue eyes. Her enigmatic irises were enhanced by the radiant sunlight, adding to her allure.
The eighteen-year-old orange fox nodded his agreement, then leaned over and picked a dazzling flower. He said, "For you, my love," as he handed it to his girlfriend.
She daintily grabbed the flower and said while examining it, "I've never seen this kind before. It's beautiful!"
"Its beauty pales in comparison to yours by many orders of magnitude."
"Oh, Tails, you know better than to hit me with such blatant exaggeration," replied Kaolin with a chuckle as she playfully pushed Tails on the shoulder.
"It's fact. It's total fact. That flower's got nothing on you, Lin."
As Kaolin twirled the flower between her fingers, Tails thought about the special shimmering object he had in his pocket. It was a striking engagement ring he had bought a week prior, and he was waiting for the perfect occasion to pop the grand question. Was that moment the perfect occasion?
Over at the Freedom Fighters headquarters, Sonic and Sally were sitting on a couch and lazily watching MadTV, snerking occasionally at the jokes and gags. Sonic's left hand was resting on Sally's right hand, which bore a gold wedding ring. They had been married for almost a year.
"Sally."
"Yes Sonic?"
"Do you prefer taquitos with or without cheese, and how would your choice affect the economic world?"
She stared at the blue hedgehog with the most confused mien she had ever shown, and commented, "Sonic...that is the most random question you have asked me since we met. Are you feeling alright?"
Sonic grinned and replied, "I'm feeling nice and random right now, but seriously, what do you think?"
Sally glanced at the TV, hesitant to answer, and still showing obvious befuddlement, but she sighed and relented, "With cheese. I believe that my purchase of said cheese would have more of an economic impact than if I had not purchased it. I would be added to the group of millions of other denizens who had also bought cheese, thereby contributing to a large market. The companies see profit, and they expand, bringing cheese to even more people. And stuff. Does that answer your question, hon?"
Sonic answered not, as he was giggling absurdly at another skit. Before she could complain, a news report suddenly interrupted their entertainment. There had been an explosion just outside of Station Square a few minutes earlier, allegedly caused by the rupturing of a large gas line. There were no reports of injuries, and the program resumed shortly thereafter.
"Gotta love explosions," muttered a smiling Knuckles as he sat next to Julie-Su.
Around fifteen minutes later, Sonic's cell phone rang. He dug it out of his pocket, looked at the caller identification, and recognized the number as one belonging to Mighty the Armadillo. With raised eyebrows, he answered, "Sup, Mighty?"
"You might want to put this on speaker, because I have very important information concerning the explosion you probably just heard about on the news," said the armored ally.
Sonic activated the speaker-phone setting, set the phone on a table, and gave the go ahead.
"Freedom Fighters, that explosion was no gas line rupture, it was a missile. We think it was a fuel leak that caused a Titan XV ICBM to explode within its silo near Station Square, throwing the three W153 thermonuclear warheads some distance away. Only one of three warheads was found. What's frightening is that each warhead contains a tracking device for just such an occasion, but there is no signal coming from the missing two. We believe they are in the hands of a rogue faction called Ferox Mandatum that has been operating heavily within the area."
Everyone in the room was in shock, and silence endured for a short while. Bunny was the first to speak up, "How big of an explosion can those bombs make?"
Mighty sighed, "Each warhead has a sixty-five megaton yield capability. If that group finds out how to arm and set the yield of those warheads, many millions of people could die."
"That's very...disconcerting news," said Rotor a he held a mug of coffee. He set it down on a table to prevent it from spilling, as his hands were beginning to shake from the startling report.
Mighty responded, "Indeed. We already have professionals on the case, but it would be good for you guys to come and see what you can find." The armadillo cleared his throat out of mild anxiety.
"Looks like we have another mission on our hands, guys. Let's gather our gear and get to it," exclaimed Sally as she switched off the TV, much to Sonic's dismay. The entire group was visibly worried.
Meanwhile, Amy, who had heard absolutely none of the conversation, was attempting to order pizza over a different phone.
"We can cut that in four, six, eight, ten, or twelve pieces, ma'am," said the employee.
"You might want to cut it into eight. I don't think I can eat more than that."
"Um...it's still the same amount of pizza."
"Oh. In that case, make it six slices."
The employee rubbed his face and replied, "Alright, six slices it is. Anything else?"
"A cheeseburger would be nice."
"We're a pizza restaurant."
"So?"
"We don't serve burgers. We serve pizza. Only pizza."
"What about breadsticks?"
"That's different. We do serve those."
"So why not burgers?"
"Burgers aren't Italian"
"Do you serve pasta?"
"No."
"Why not? That's Italian."
"Technically it's Chinese. Look, do you want pizza or not?"
"Absolutely."
"Alrighty, we'll have that out to you in about twenty minutes."
"Do you serve burritos?"
The employee hung up just in time for Sally to tap Amy on the shoulder, and the pink hedgehog nearly flew out of her skin.
"Whoa, um, hey Amy. We have another mission."
Amy simply looked at the anthropomorphic chipmunk for a few moments. She still harbored a considerable amount of bitterness over the fact that Sonic had chosen Sally over her, but she eventually smiled and answered, "Hey, I'm ready."
"Good!" exclaimed Sally. She turned her attention away from the jealous Amy and directed it at Antoine, "Ant, if you would, go make Tails and Kaolin aware of the situation, please."
The coyote replied, "Oui, mademoiselle!" before rushing out the door and toward the hill, upon which sat the vulpine couple.
--
Canon Sonic characters and places © Sonic Team, Sega
MadTV © Quincy Jones/David Salzman Entertainment
The different-slices-same-pizza scenario was derived from a similar real-life occurrence
Kaolin, story, etc © NuclearCookout