Chapter two: the festivities
Sonic stood on a small pedestal as two Echidna women measured him for, what he called his party cloths.
"This is so wired," he said to Rouge who was standing on a small pedestal next to him.
"Well at least you don't look like a bell." Rouge was wearing a sleeveless dress that belled out so that it looked like an upside down, blue, tulip.
"Is there another way you wish it to look mistress?" one of the Echidna women, working on her dress, asked.
"Well of course I do," Rouge said. "How would you feel wearing something like this?"
"How do you wish it to look?"
"Wait, you're actually asking, I can change this?"
The Echidna women looked at her in confirmation
Rouge considered this, a sly look on her face, "come on girls, we've got a lot to talk about." She walked into the next room, followed, obediently, by the Echidna that was helping her with her dress.
"This is going to be interesting," Sonic said, knowing how scanky Rouge could be, he had a pretty good idea how the dress was going to turn out.
The festivities began in a large dinning hall with a large feast.
Sonic walked into the dining hall and looked around for Knuckles, Julie-Su, or Jet.
Every Echidna that saw him would bow and curtsy. Sonic would smile politely, hoping that was the right thing to do.
"Friend of fire," a small echidna girl ran up to Sonic.
"Uh, hi," Sonic smiled at her. The girl just stared at him, a curious look on her face. His smile became awkward as he began to feel agitated by the girl's gaze.
"Clemency," An Echidna women, probably the girls mother, ran up and grabbed her child, "I'm sorry for my daughters behavior, sire," the woman addressed Sonic, bowing low.
"Hey, it's okay," Sonic said lightly, "and don't call me sire or anything, it's just Sonic."
"Of course, Sonic," the woman bowed again and left, child in tow.
"You're going to make people uncomfortable by telling them to call you by your name," Sonic turned to Jet, greatfull to find someone who knew what was going on.
"Hey, I don't want to be seen as some sort of God," Sonic said.
"Well you're going to have to get used to it, that's what you are to these people."
"Well- your party cloths make you look like a genie," he thought that was a good retort, then he remembered that Babylonians were descendents of genies.
Jet rolled his eyes, "come on the protectorate sits over here."
Jet led Sonic to a table where the protectorate when there were feasts.
The chairs were colored, orange, white, gold, blue and green, the colors of the powers of chaos.
Julie-Su was sitting in the blue thrown; Flora and her team were around her, goggling at her new robotic arm. The sight of the arm reminded Sonic of Tails.
"Jet," Sonic sat down in the orange chair next to the white one, which was Jet's, "how's Tails?"
"I'm good," Tails was sitting on the chair to the left of Sonic, arm in a sling, "the healers here are good at what they do, though I don't know why they weren't able to instantly fix my arm like they did my leg," Tails stretched out his leg so Sonic could see it, then lowered it and shrugged, "they said my arm had multiple fractures, and that's why they couldn't fix it, but it still confuses me, nice pants," Tails indicated Sonic's pants that were orange embroidered with red flames.
"They itch," Sonic said simply, "do your puffy pants itch you Jet?"
"They do actually," Jet said scratching his leg, "do your pants itch you Knuckles?"
"Hm?" Knuckles was sitting in the golden thrown in the center of the four other throwns. Sonic noticed that he was now wearing a crown, which was decorated with gems the colors of the chaos emeralds, and a red cape, and had a faraway look in his eyes.
"Oh," Knuckles rested his head in his hand, "not really."
"What's with you?" Sonic asked.
"I can't remember anything about my father,"
"What do you mean you can't remember?" Annali had over heard, and looked up at Knuckles with a worried expression.
"When I went away, I lost my memory."
"Do you remember us?" Flora's team looked at Knuckles sadly.
Knuckles closed his eyes and shook his head.
Flora's team looked very hurt.
"But, you will," Geminight said hopefully, "Won't you?"
"Most likely."
Flora's team smiled.
"Flora doesn't seem very concerned about Knuckles' memory loss." Sonic pointed out.
"That's just how she is," Adda explained, "She doesn't like to show how she feels."
"She doesn't think its professional," Rea put in.
"Well that's ridiculous," Sonic said.
Flora shot Sonic an angry glance.
"Yeah she totally digs you," Jet teased. Sonic shoved him.
"Am I late," Rouge leaned against the table next to knuckles' chair.
Her dress still looked like an upside-down flower, but it was shorter and skin tight and colored a dark purple, "how do I look?"
"Amazing," Knuckles kissed her.
The whole room suddenly became silent and tense.
"What just happened?" Sonic said, feeling then tension press against him.
Annali squeaked, and stared at knuckles then Julie-Su.
"Oh," Sonic rolled his eyes, "are we going to have to go through this again?"
"Knuckles and I are not betroth anymore," Julie-Su said, "it turns out he never actually loved me, he loves Rouge, and I have Espio."
"Who?"
"Espio," Espio appeared next to Julie-Su. Flora's team squeaked, and stumbled backward, even Flora jumped slightly. Julie-Su giggled, "Don't do that to people, Spo,"
Espio closed his eyes, annoyed with his nick name.
"He looks like a ninja," Rea commented.
"That's because he is," Julie-Su smiled up at Espio.
"Now that that's all cleared up," Sonic rubbed his hands together, "let's eat."
