This was a story I loved dearly as well. I must have read it dozens of times, even impacting my writing style. It wasn't something I could just let die, either. And I wasn't sure if anyone else would do it, let alone have the memory to do it. If anyone does want to help, or even contribute ideas, I'll gladly listen. It may be hard to improve on such a great piece, especially when you no longer have access, but I'm willing to give it a go. There's nothing stopping you from suggesting, so why not?
Also, Thank you for the kind words, but this is the part I find that I remember the best. Last chapter and part of this one, then it'll probably take some more noticeable turns. As for humor, it can be extremely difficult. Coming up with similar humor, and trying not to directly copy it is hard. Original ideas are even worse. We'll see how well those skills hold up when we go places the original story did not...
Groove Rush:
"Apparently my dad met my mother one of the times she had to save the kingdom while she was still a princess. There isn't much literature on the topic this time, but apparently Blaze must have been undercover since this was a time when the kingdom has still refused to acknowledge her whereabouts. Honestly I don't think they knew where she went, assuming they know now. What I do know is that was the first time she met my father, Sonic. He hadn't been knighted yet, but apparently he was working towards a similar goal as her when their paths crossed. I'm not sure how, but he managed to get on her bad side and they fought a very intense battle. My guess would be that the scars are hidden under fur and quills. While it was mostly a draw, dad was in better control of his emotions which led to him winning in the end. It was stupid in the end, since it wounded both of them, and they had to co-operate to save the kingdom. It surprised me to hear that at one point they had gotten along..."
Two hours and one signed document later, Anne handed the glorified telephone back to her mother, racing down to the portal-statue in the garden to meet her incoming father. She was thankful for only having to talk to Tails, Anne's adoptive 'Uncle,' and the only person in either existence both capable and willing to operate a trans-dimensional portal. Noises of said machine echoed into the cosmic-crossing phone, ejecting loud mechanical clangs and hisses of ear-shattering pitches. It was hard keeping sensitive ears listening to the phone when the two tailed genius wasn't talking. The explosions of what she presumed were things waiting to go wrong were even less comforting, especially when accompanied by loud, if distant, shrieks from such a genius.
"He's entered the portal, it shouldn't be long before he arrives," came a voice, his head muffling the mechanical mayhem that otherwise would overpower his voice.
"Wonderful," came her retort, speaking in such a frost even her flames would have difficulty melting it.
"By the way, Blaze..." Tails started, one of the few people to call the queen by her given name, "The last time Sonic came back from..." A hissing hum was building in the background, increasing in pitch. Blaze was glad she herself was only hearing it on the phone, and not actually in the same room as it.
"Yes?" It wasn't the first time she had heard the hum. It seemed to happen most times Sonic traveled, but it didn't always end in disaster.
"...the last time he came back, his legs were really-" The high pitched hum culminated in a titanic wave of air, gushing out at superheated temperatures into the relatively cool surrounding air, releasing from pressure a vast wave of energy surging through the air at the speed of sound. The word explosion would seem inadequate, but it's loud boom through the phone gave it away for what it was. "Ummm... please hold."
Impatiently, she held. A glance out her window told her that the portal in the garden had activated, the swirls of the 'Cosmic Highway' ever tumbling through its 'even horizon.' It was just a fancy door. Surprisingly, Anne had never jumped into the device, despite her reckless nature. She came close, on occasions, but never actually falling through. Blaze wondered if, perhaps, she should be down there restraining Anne rather than talking to Tails...
"Blaze?"
"Oh, yes Tails?"
"The, ahh... Chaos Combustion Chamber blew." Blaze had heard that before. It was just equipment, but there was a connection to it that made her fear that disaster had flared up again. Suddenly the sound of disassembled junk that, seconds ago, was still assembled, filled her ear.
"I hope it won't be too much trouble to fix. I have faith in your ability, Tails." She was more concerned with removing Sonic from this world as quickly as possible rather than any machine that brought him here.
"No, it shouldn't be... but, well... the Chaos Emeralds did that 'disappear' thing. Again." The temperature went up several degrees in Blaze's office rather spontaneously. Fury filled the room, the only thing keeping those Emeralds, that machine, and Tails safe was the dimensional barrier. Mostly.
"You mean that thing where they hide themselves across you planet and occasionally in some of your 'Special Zones?' Leaving that mechanical monstrosity as so much raw scrap metal?" It was said with a controlled rage of a thousand seas, eroding shorelines and drowning cities that dared to be in its way. The answer was contrastingly casual.
"Yea, basically." Her ear twitched.
"How long until you can fix it?"
"Well, I keep spare parts for everything relating to the Dimension Breacher, so a couple hours. The Chaos Emeralds may take a few days to find again, though... perhaps a week at most."
"A week!"
"A few days, tops!" his voice quickly replied. "I'll probably be able to get some help from Knuckles or Shadow, maybe even Rouge to..." Another loud boom rocked the palace for a moment, accompanied by the excited squeal of the Princess. A whiff of smoke and dust made its way lazily past the office window on its way into the sky. "Oh, I take it Sonic has arrived?" Blaze peered out the window.
"Indeed he has..." She seethed.
Lets Play Sonic 2006: "Relax and have fun."
"Ooh, that wascally hedgehog!"
"Cupcake!" Sonic grinned, stepping out of the portal, dusting off his pants. Blaze's realm required cloths by law, so Tails had made a type of pants that would handle supersonic running as well as his shoes. They matched his color well, and if he was doing anything faster than a walk you wouldn't be able to tell he was wearing them. The hedgehog was still shirtless, though.
"Dad!" A few steps out of the gate and he was nearly knocked back into the 'Cosmic Highway' by forty pounds of high-speed Hedgecat.
"Well, I was going to ask you if you missed me, but that seems like an obvious yes now." He hugged Anne back, before she let herself be put down. "So how was Spring Break?"
"Dull as an eraser," she responded, pouting. The girl sported a combination of long whiskers and short spines down part of her back, culminating in her long tail. She was a solid blue-lilac, but a shade lighter than either of her parents. She let her hair fall back with her spines, creating an illusion of long hair going down half of her back. Royal cloths covered her like her mother when she was younger, with white pants and shirt. Her overcoat was blue rather than purple, though, in admiration of her father.
"Oh? Why's that?" He was still smiling, even if it wasn't as wide. He was always smiling. It seemed to illuminate the world in fun whenever he was around simply through that smile. And his attitude, but that wasn't so visible on the surface.
"I had to do a paper on the ancient civilizations during the first inter-species war. It sucked, cause mom wouldn't let me go to the Karibbea island chain with my friends, even though it would be an easy run from here!"
"Huh. That place anything like the Bahamas?" Despite being an island, he had run there. He chuckled. Amy still hadn't found out he'd ever been there. Then again, now that she wasn't actively seeking him out because of Anne, he really didn't need to worry. Then again, at least he had a chance to escape her hammer before, too...
"I dunno," she replied, tilting her head in curiosity. Must be one of those cat things from her mother. She had only been to a big city called Station Square, and even when kidnapped, had never gone too far from the place. It seemed odd, but when someone included 'Egg' in their title, it must be referring to their brain. "What's it like there?"
"Alcoholic. And have you been practicing running on water without me, Anne? I thought you knew better." He laughed at her sly grin, finding no fault besides her mothers wishes. Then again, they were the wishes of one very powerful combatant and world ruler. Not that she ruled the world, but if anyone did it would be her. "Ever try fish a la Martini?"
It took Anne a moment to get through the thicker language than what she was used to from her father, but she laughed. "Are you kidding? Mom would have a fit, even if I was fifteen. 'Nothing harder than lemonade' she once told me."
"Oh really?" he snickered, "Then remind her of the time she tried one."
"When was that?" Her enthusiasm far outweighed any thought process he wasn't having.
"Eh, my guess would be about eight, maybe nine months before you were born," pinning down the exact reason why Blaze never had anything harder than lemonade since then. "But since I wasn't around when... Actually, lets settle for not mentioning it to your mother."
"Don't worry, she won't."
"Afternoon, Blaze." He smiled, turning to her. "How's the country?"
"Morbid," she replied, as if answering both for the country and for the evening's dinner plans. Sonic smiled, chuckling at his own little joke. Blaze didn't.
Did she hate Sonic the Hedgehog? No, that would be unfair. Eggman hated him, and she hated some of the people in politics around the world. No, Hate was a strong word, but beneath inadequate when she dealt with this particular menace. Their relationship had, step by step, gained the ups and downs of a spring into a bottomless pit. It started with one hell of an up, before tumbling into the endless void below. Blaze was learning just what that 'Endless' truly was, though she would have sworn having passed 'endless' long ago. It was amazing, looking back, waking up. Expecting a new life, courtship, and maybe a few more of whatever that was last night...
Then waking up to find she was the only one sleeping in a bed made for two. That had been enough for her not to ever wish to see Sonic again, plain and simple. And she was certain he'd have been happy to stay away from her too, given his actions. It might not have been a Happily Ever After princesses usually got, but she didn't need it. Blaze would be a strong queen on her own.
And then, a few months later, Anne came along. It was something the world screamed about for years, in agony of never meeting the father, or even knowing who it was. Eventually, once Anne was old enough to understand and ask to meet him, she caved in.
On the plus side, it was extremely satisfying to see the look on his face when she told him about his daughter. The thought still made her smile to this day. The flip side of the coin, though, was evident almost immediately. Perhaps if they hadn't attracted the attention of Eggman, gone on adventures, traveled all around Station Square, and met half the people Sonic knew, Anne would have just dealt with it like she did.
Instead, Anne would eternally count the days until the next visit from her father. Blaze scowled, inwardly and outwardly. Anne had never been able to get enough of her free-wheeling, fun-at-five-million-miles-per-hour 'parental' figure. What surprised her more was Sonic not being able to get enough of his daughter, either.
Sharp, white teeth showed themselves for a moment as Blaze's temper threatened to get the better of her from all the bitter thoughts. Mr. Dependable now, aren't you? Sure. What about my needs? Where's my devotion?
As oblivious as a blur could possibly be, Sonic was fully aware of his mistake. Probably his biggest, if not one of. And he knew it. He was now an occasional figure at the palace, generally around whenever Anne had time off, although not always. His instant wit and charm made him an initial hit with many of the guards and commoners, but over the years he had developed a strong reputation with his daughter for endangering anything not cut off by a large body of water. Nothing was safe when he and his offspring got together for 'fun.' Antique sword-juggling would be an example of this, something Anne hadn't picked up on her own. Nor was she particularly good at it, not that many remembered the incident for anything but the chandelier coming down in one of the hallways. As always, thoughts of Anne's father always put her in a foul mood; Memories would trigger sparks of flame blinking in and out of existence around her. But no, that wasn't the worst of it...
Sonic, undaunted, just flashed a little grin at her to distract her from his slight step backwards, not willing to provoke her.
...The worst of it was that every time he grinned, every time he showed off that carefree attitude of his, every bit of fun he showed of... she remembered just what it had been about him that she had wanted to see when she woke up. And that was far worse than anything he could ever teach to Anne.
Sonic just watched her glare move from the 'sweltering foundry' into an even worse look, one that could melt steel. This 'steel-melter,' as he named it, was only showing more and more threat and didn't appear to be going anywhere. There was no doubt she wanted as big a wall between them as possible, but he loved his kid, and he knew that his kid loved him back. He was willing to risk burning looks from his jilted lover to make her days fun and exiting, but the fewer looks like this one, the better. Any consideration and politeness he could afford her he did, presuming Anne's wishes didn't contradict those efforts, anyway. Regardless, life preservation skills kicked in, and he turned back to his little girl. "So! You told me about this report you have due soon..."
"Aw, you just got here dad!" she squealed, pulling on Sonic's arm with one hand. In the other was a surfboard Sonic had given her that she had retrieved during her parents 'reunion.' Presuming a reunion could qualify as stare-down between her parents with as few words as possible provoking it. "Lets have some fun!"
"Well..." replied her father, mental image of Blaze throwing him into the deep dungeons replaced by one of a sparkling beach, laying on the sand, listening to the radio. It may have been a memory of when he was younger with Tails, but it still gave him a new frame of mind to think in. "I do like fun." He smirked.
One firm glove grabbed Sonic by the other arm, while the other grasped Anne by the fur on her back as only a mother could. "Work comes first," she said, an undertone of growl on the side. "Right, Sonic?"
Anne spoke first, having experienced these conversations numerous times over the last several years. She knew Mom didn't like her spending time with Dad, or at least more than necessary. Some would consider it fair that she lose this discussion, having already managed to have Dad visit. Not Anne, though, and she unleashed her mightiest weapon any child could on their mother, Queen or not.
In Olympic form, she spun on one foot, and unleashed the cute-googley-eye look upon her stoic mother. "Pl-eeeeeaaaasseee Mom?" Rumor had it that the Queen had once stared a meteor falling into the atmosphere to turn tail and head for an adjacent planet. It made it all the more satisfying when her mother put a hand to her face and sighed in exasperation.
"Yea, Pl-eeeeeaaaasseee?" Sonic chided, mirroring his daughter's tone and expression. Her other hand let go of the blue hedgehog, pointing toward the rear gates of the palace. The duo slapped five before running on out of the gate, leaving behind a momentary blur.
"But you better get something done while you're out there!" A blue blur appeared for a moment again, running past her.
"Will do, Blaze." She never saw him, but she heard his chiding voice. It was possible Anne didn't even realize he'd run back to the palace and caught up with her again within a second. Despite the intended comfort, it only infuriated her further.
"I'm not kidding!" There was no response this time. She stood there, thinking, and grinding her teeth as her steel-melter wavered from her face into a more usual 'Shadow-frowney-face.' She still didn't trust them.
Lets Play Sonic 2006: "You have the three Rockmans in this game:
Rockman, Rockman Charcoal, and Rockman Steel/Chrome."
The Beach was a half hour's run away at Anne's top speed, not that Sonic hadn't scooped her up and broken the sound barrier while they were in the countryside. They finally stopped, a sonic boom giving way to giddy laughter on the empty beach, scaring the Seagulls. It was the remote location and long hike that kept many people away from the palm beach paradise. White sand gave way underneath high-speed sneakers as a whale blew out a fountain of water in the distance.
The beach was technically supposed to be off limits, but royalty did have some special privileges. Plus, it had been in the bill to mark this place off as a 'reserve,' an idea from Sonic's world Blaze had implemented. The whales used this area as mating grounds during Spring, and had originally enjoyed going after Anne when she was surfing. A small meal beforehand was a fine mood-setter to the non-sapient carnivores. As they found out, though, a blue blur with red shoes constantly getting shoved down your blow-hole was possibly the number one mood-breaker, and even the sight of the hedgehog had them reeling for new grounds nowadays.
The sun was blaring, and Sonic sat up against one of the palm trees in some cool shade. Not that the journey had tired him, but it was nice not to be under a frozen pyrotechnic glare. "So, anything in particular you want to know about, Anne?"
"Oh, come on. You don't wanna run me out to the waves Dad?" Truth be told the waves weren't looking good, and after a bit of watching in quiet, she seemed to accept that. "Well, I guess we could go swimming later."
"Anne, you know if you want to swim far out we need your mother around. I'm anything but a life guard." He chuckled at the irony. Saving people for years and years, and couldn't save his own daughter if she stayed in the water too long too far out.
"Oh, fine. Later then," She pouted, plopping down on her dad's lap to listen to another one of his stories. They were good stories, far better than the ones mother usually told. "But promise me you'll come in part way, at least." She pulled out her googley eyes again, something that had just saved him. Chuckling, and in good humor, he gave in with a nod.
"So, don't make me ask again, what do you want to hear about? Anything specific you want to put in that essay of yours?"
"Well, you saving the world is not something I can put in, so Egghead is out." Sonic shared a brief laugh with the wind at the nickname. "Though she didn't say anything about your friends."
"Anne, the only person I ever met that didn't have to directly do with saving the world was Tails. And maybe cream, though that's arguable." He chuckled again, at how many of his friends had fought him when they met originally. It was stunning. Knuckles was the first one he had fought, too. Sonic laughed out loud, realizing that the rap Knux listened to was right: unlike Sonic I don't chuckle. Anne laughed too, as his laugh was contagious.
"Well, then why don't you tell me about when you met Uncle Tails?" Anne reoriented to facing him while still sitting on her dad's lap. It was her usual position when he told stories.
"All right then, I'll start at the beginning. I was born on Christmas Island, and was an orphan taken in for a couple of years by a bounty hunter named Nack, although he was better known for his codename, Fang the Sniper..." He had Anne hooked at bounty hunter, and if a tsunami washed away everything on the beach, she wouldn't notice until daddy finished.
Lets Play Sonic 2006: "Not just hedgehogs can use the light speed dash.
I've done it once or twice."
Blaze eventually managed to make her way to their beach hideaway. It had taken her some time to get everything tied together as perfect as possible in her brief absence, and the run took some up the rest. She was surprised to see the two sitting under a tree as Sonic spoke. She watched from a hill behind them, blending in behind some untamed shubs. Her ears tuned in the story being spun.
"... And he looked kind of odd, but I just figured it was his occupation, along with all the robotic animals. He was the guy with the gas, and I was the shmuck who crash landed his plane from lack of gas. It seemed easy enough to get some from him, so I stepped out of the bushes, introduced myself, and asked him where his circus was going to next."
"You told Egghead he looked like a clown?"
"Clown ringleader was more like it. Regardless, big, big mistake. He tried attacking me with his little creatures, yelling at me for being some kind of GUN Agent, and then tried to kill me himself. I fought him off, but then remembered he still had my gas. So all across the island I went, chasing him down. I eventually got it too, and I was happy to get off that lunatic island. If I had any say in the matter, that would have been the last time I'd ever see him. As it turns out, I had no say in the matter, whatsoever..."
Blaze had heard enough. She never liked Sonic filling her daughter's dreams with fantasies of saving the world from fatally-flawed clown villains, like that of Dr. Eggman. Repetitively, she had told Sonic not to talk about his fights with the Doctor. Rather than running over to give him a piece of her mind, though, she decided to walk. Unlike Anne and her father, Blaze had never been much into running, and when she did she augmented it with her flame abilities. She wasn't a natural, so going these kinds of distances to keep up with the mad-hog was tiring.
And a walk would be just fine to help her get that temper under control.
NOW LOADING...
