Hello readers! School isn't easy for a Networking Specialist, but I'm making my way through to get some free time to work on this. Chapter 4 wouldn't be up if not for some free time I found the day before. Reviews would be nice. Tell me what you think, readers. Also, I'm going to start doing more specific times occasionally, starting with this chapter. I will also be marking when occurances in one chapter happen during another chapter, so try to bare with me while I experiment with this.
Enjoy the Chapter!
Chapter 4: Injured Guest
Kingdom of Soleanna, Wave Ocean; Year 2013
(Chapters 4 & 5 take place at the same time as well as during events in Chapters 2 & 3)
The waves crashed along the shore of Wave Ocean, Soleanna's most popular beach. Families could be seen enjoying the sun and surf as seagulls sang in the air. The beach was not crowded, but still had quite a few people on the sand and in the water. Children could be heard screaming and laughing in joy of getting out and having some fun with their friends and families as their parents either played with them or relaxed under umbrellas and trees along the coast.
The lifeguard on duty was sitting on his white lookout post observing his surroundings with a smile. Suddenly, his smile vanished as he saw a flash of white in the distance. Everyone on the beach stopped what they were doing and looked at what appeared to be a star hovering at least two stories above the water's surface in the distance. The lifeguard squinted and noticed a being fall from the flash and splash in the water just as the light subsided. There was no movement but he could barely make out an orange form floating lifelessly. Instinctively he jumped off his post, grabbing a ring buoy, and ran down the coast to the water. He jumped in and swam to the unconscious person as fast as he could. When he got to it, however, it wasn't what he was expecting. Regardless, he used the ring to make dragging the unconscious man back to shore easier as he made his way back slowly. As he got near the beach, he called out to the other two lifeguards that were waiting for him.
"Get an ambulance, he's barely breathing!" he shouted as he neared the shore. They nodded and ran off, one to grab a phone and call the ambulance and the other to get a first aid pack. After about ten minutes, the ambulance arrived. Two men jumped out the truck and opened the back door, pulling a stretcher out. The lifeguards, who were tending to cuts and bruises on the injured man, then the EMS men came up and looked at the unconscious person.
"Wait, he's a hedgehog?! We were called to take a man to the hospital, not a Mobian! Our doctors don't know how to treat them!" one of the EMS complained. The lifeguard who brought the hedgehog to shore turned from the life he saved to the EMS.
"All I see is a man who needs help. Take him back to Soleanna; one of the royal nurses should be able to help him. They are trained to help any life form, human and Mobian" he told the EMS. He didn't like being told what to do by a lifeguard, but complied since they were surrounded by a crowd of concerned citizens.
"Alright, load him up, we don't have much time!" he shouted as they all worked on strapping the orange hedgehog to the stretcher and in the ambulance. "Thanks for the call, we'll take it from here." the driver said as he drove off towards the castle.
Kingdom of Soleanna, Castle Infirmary; Three hours later
"Is he awake yet?" asked a woman with red hair. She wore a white dress with gold trimming and white feathers; she also had a feather on her ear along with a gold tiara.
"Not yet, Princess Elise, but he is stable," answered the nurse, "but we don't know anything about him. All we do know is that he is a Mobian. He is a white-quilled hedgehog with a serious gash just below his ribcage. We were able to mend the wound and patch him up, now all we need to do is wait for him to wake up."
"Very good, please inform me when he comes to. I wish to speak to him before anyone else; I will leave two guards to ensure this." Elise turned and left as the nurse nodded and bowed to her.
Kingdom of Soleanna, Royal Chambers; Midnight that night
Elise tossed and turned in her bed as her mind was flooded with images she didn't understand. Every night was the same as the next; she would stay awake due to her nightmares and be exhausted most of the next day. Tonight, she was having the same dream as the previous night.
Elise POV, Bed
I was standing on the ledge of a tall cliff that overlooked the ocean. As I looked over the edge, I could hear an explosion to my right. I turned to see a large red, black, and yellow ship falling apart in a fiery inferno as it came straight for the cliff I was on. Stricken with panic, I turned and ran from the cliff. The ship collided with the cliff as the shockwave from the massive explosion caused me to fall face down on the grass a safe distance from the ledge. I turned around to face the ledge again after I heard something land behind me. I saw what appeared to be as a younger form of myself along with a blue hedgehog with red shoes and white gloves laying a few feet from where she was laying. I stood slowly as the two lying on the grass slowly stirred. The hedgehog was the first to get up; after he did he walked over and helped the my younger self to her feet.
I blinked and suddenly was in another location than before; a wide open field with bright green grass and some rock formations in the distance. As I looked at my surroundings, I could see the same two from the cliff, the young girl and the hedgehog, walking through the field with smiles on their faces. I smiled to myself as I thought, 'At least they are okay after what happened earlier.'
Suddenly, I saw a dark purple mist a good distance behind the two. I squinted and put my right hand up to shield the sun as I tried to make out the shape the mist was forming. After a few seconds the form seemed to be like the blue hedgehog, however four of the quills on its head was curved up and its entire body was like a purple crystal with pink eyes and green reptilian irises. The purple crystal look was brighter at the tips of its quills and it didn't have feet; only a few spikes with the purple mist from earlier around them.
'Who is that?' I thought to myself as I saw he was focusing on the blue hedgehog. He raised one of his hands and it began to glow white as a ball of light began to form in his hand. The light compressed until it looked solid, then he thrust his arm and a white rigid spike shot out straight at the hedgehog's back. 'Oh no…' I thought as I started running to them. Raising my hands, I screamed in warning, 'SONIC!' but I was too late as the spike pierced him.
I woke up with bloodshot eyes and sat up instantly while panting hard. I was sweating a lot and felt like I was going to be sick. I tried to calm myself as I wrapped my mind around this dream. 'First I dream of flames and a ruined city, now someone I don't know being killed by someone else I've never seen before. Am I going crazy?' I asked myself. Each of these dreams felt so real, but none of it is. I closed my eyes trying to remember more of these dreams to try to make some understanding of it.
Suddenly, my eyes shot open as my mind was flooded with pictures of more Mobians like the blue hedgehog; a silver hedgehog, a black and red hedgehog, a pink hedgehog, a white bat, a red echidna, a yellow fox, a purple cat, a red and black robot, and a man with black goggles blue glasses with red black and yellow clothes and a large mustache. I placed my hands on my head and clamped my eyes shut. "Who are they? Why do I see them in my dreams? None of this makes any sense!" I shouted out loud unintentionally. I heard my bedroom door open to my left. I instantly calmed myself and pretended to just be waking up as my assistant came in.
"My lady, are you alright? I thought I heard you say something." she asked in a worried tone.
I smiled at her concern over me as I responded, "I am alright, Joyce, I must have been talking in my sleep. What time is it?"
She lifted her left arm and checked her watch. "12:35 in the morning, mam," she answered.
I nodded and started to get up. "Alright, I am going to check on the hedgehog in the Infirmary. Return to bed or come with me if you like, the choice is yours," I told her.
She yawned and giggled, "I think I'll get some more sleep, if that's okay with you my lady."
I laughed at her response and nodded my approval. After she left, I walked to my closet and shuffled through my dresses. 'Let's see, which one which one…this one!' I thought as I pulled out a silver dress with red trimming, much like my usual white and gold dress. I changed out of my silk red pajama shirt and pants and slid the dress on. I put on my tiara and silver heels as I made my way to the Infirmary.
? POV, Infirmary
I woke up slowly to the sound of a computer beeping. I felt groggy and weak. Looking at my surroundings slowly, I guessed that I was in a hospital of some sort. I tried to sit up, but fell back down on my back as I felt a sharp pain on my stomach. 'That hurts a lot, what happened to me?' I thought as I looked down at myself. I had a white bandage strapped from my chest to my stomach. 'Whatever's wrong with me, someone fixed it.
I had dark orange fur with yellow shoes that appear to have a thick silver stripe that went from my toes to my heel. The shoes also have a silver rubber-like guard around the shoes. Weakly, I lifted my leg to get a better look at my shoes. 'Might as well take a better look, not like I'm going anywhere at the moment.' I thought as I looked under the shoes. The bases of the shoes were grey with four white circles. 'What are these for?' I asked myself. I touched the circle on the base of my left foot with my right hand. As I did, a white light shot out as air from the circles pushed my hand away. 'Airshoes,' I concluded, 'makes sense I guess, but I didn't know I could skate.' I put my foot back down and looked at my white gloves that had silver bracelets like the ones around my ankles. They had a yellow line of light in the center of the bracelet. On the palm as well as the back of my hand was a yellow light in the shape of a triangle with the tip pointing towards my fingers. The bottom of the triangle was a small yellow line that led to the bracelets. 'Where did these lights come from?' I asked myself.
"So, you're finally awake," called a voice to my left. I turned my attention from my hands to the door as I saw a red headed woman that was wearing a silver and red dress, "I was hoping you would come to soon, however you woke up sooner than the doctors thought you would."
'She's pretty…but who is she?' I asked myself. "Who are you? And where am I?" I asked plainly.
She smiled and walked up to my bed. "You are in the Kingdom of Soleanna; my kingdom," she responded, "and this is the Infirmary of my castle."
I tensed when she told me she was the leader. 'Am I in trouble?' I thought. "Soleanna?" I asked her. 'I have no idea what this place is.'
"Yes. Now, I have some questions for you. First of all, what is your name?" she asked me in a more serious tone.
"My name is, is…" I stopped and thought for a minute. "My name…I don't know what my name is." I responded after some thought.
"Do you know how you got here?" she asked as she sat in a chair that was next to my bed. She frowned when she saw me nod my head no. "Do you know what you are?"
I looked down at myself and turned to my right. There was a sink with a mirror above it. I leaned up, despite the pain, and saw my reflection. My eyes were blue and I appear to have five spikes on the back of my head; two long ones and three above them that had yellow covering a majority of them. The spikes on the left and right were curved up slightly and the one in the middle curved down like the two longer ones underneath. I laid back and faced my questioner. "I appear to be a hedgehog. A Mobian, right?" I responded.
She nodded and stood. "You seem to have amnesia. I will go and get the one who brought you here. He is a lifeguard of the local beach Wave Ocean. Listen to him intently, and maybe your memory will come back to you. I will come back later today to check up on you."
I thanked her as she left the room. A few minutes later a man came in. He wore a white shirt and red shorts with a white plus on the sides. "Hello," I greeted him.
"Hey yourself, dude." he responded with a smile. "I thought you were done for when I pulled you out the surf, you alright?" he asked.
I nodded and smiled. "The person just before you, she said I have amnesia. Can you tell me how I got here?" I questioned him.
"Princess Elise says you have amnesia, huh?" he responded, then continued, "Well, I was watching the beach. Suddenly, in the distance, there was a bright white light. A second later, the light dimmed and I saw you fall from it."
'A white light? I teleported here?" I contemplated. "Do you know my name?" We both frowned slightly as he nodded no. "Okay…regardless, thank you. I probably would have died out there if it wasn't for you."
"Don't sweat it, bro. It comes with the job, I'm just glad to help," he responded with a smile.
I reached my right hand out to shake his. He took mine and shook as I said, "I owe you. Maybe not now, but later I'll pay you back for what you did for me."
He smiled and replied, "If you feel the need to, I won't stop you. Just know this, dude; it's my job to help anyone in need, I don't need or expect a payment. I'm going to leave and let you get some rest, I'm glad you came through."
I thanked him again as he left. A few seconds later a nurse came in and checked the computer, I.V., and asked me if I feel any pain. I responded that my stomach hurt and that that was it. She wrote it down and left. I turned to my left and looked at the small table brown table with a clock sitting on it. '1:10 a.m., I need to get some rest. Something tells me it's going to be a long day…'
? POV, 12:30 p.m.
I yawned and stretched as the rays from the window behind me woke me from my much needed slumber. I leaned up and noticed that my stomach wasn't hurting anymore. I pushed the button on my bed to call the nurse. A few minutes later, the nurse came in and asked what was wrong. "I don't hurt anymore, can you check my injury please? I want to know how it is." I asked her.
She seemed to brighten up slightly and complied. As she removed the bandages, her expression slowly went from happiness to shock, then horror. After she completely removed the bandages, I saw my tan orange fur and a silver patch of fur on my chest. Just below my chest, about two inches down, was a scar that was five inches long.
"H-h-how a-are you healed a-a-already?!" she screamed in shock. "GET THE PRINCESS!" she shouted as she ran out the room and slammed the door. I also heard a lock on the outside.
'I guess I heal fast…really fast.' I concluded. I saw up and let my feet dangle off the left side of the bed as I looked down waiting.
A few minutes later, Elise came in after unlocking the door and looked at my stomach. "How?" she asked in confusion.
"I don't know, I guess I heal fast." I responded just as confused.
"It healed in a overnight…" she thought out loud. "Your injury, it looked like a bird had gashed you with its talons." she explained. "Actually, that's not a bad name for you at the moment." She thought for a moment before asking, "What do you think of the name Talon?"
"Talon the Hedgehog?" I responded smiling. "Sure, it seems to fit me." She smiled at my response as I stood up to stretch my legs. 'There's something about that name…' I thought before she began talking again.
"Well, Talon, care for a tour of Soleanna?" she asked after I finished stretching.
"Sure, I would love to see your kingdom" I responded as we left the infirmary.
Talon's POV, Streets of Soleanna; Two hours later
"I loved the tour, Princess." I thanked her as we walked back towards the castle. It was getting late as the sky was a color much like my fur.
"I'm glad you enjoyed the tour, Talon." she responded smiling. "I love this kingdom and everyone in it. I will do anything to keep them safe; I even agreed to have Gun agents roam the streets as well as monitor the boarders."
"Gun?" I asked in curiosity.
"Yes, they are a superior military group who focus on the safety of those who are under their watch. I talked with their director this morning while you were still asleep and arranged them to watch over the city. I only have so many guards, you know." she explained.
I nodded in agreement. "That's good. The more the merrier when it comes to safety, right?"
"My thoughts exactly." she responded smiling. "With Gun, my citizens' can-"
She was cut off by an explosion a few feet ahead of us. The impact caught us both off guard as we turned and started running in the opposite direction. We didn't get far as there was another explosion. I could barely see that they were caused by missiles.
"What's going on?!" Elise shouted in fear and curiosity.
"Someone is shooting missiles!" I responded as we took a left and ran down an alley.
We took another left only to find a dead end. Two more missiles exploded as we backed up against the wall. Instinctively, I stepped in front of Elise.
"Talon…" she said in concern for me.
"I don't know who is firing these missiles, but whoever it is wanted to trap us otherwise the missiles would have hit us instead of direct us here." I explained. "Show yourself!" I called out to the smoke from the most recent missile.
"My my, aren't you a smart one." responded the voice of a man. The sound of jet engines could be heard as a form began to approach from the smoke. The fire from the engines could be seen from below and behind the small personal transport the man was standing in. The smoke faded and he could be seen clearly now.
Elise seemed to get frightened after we could see him. "N-no…it can't be you. You are the one from my dream!" she shouted. I turned my head to hear her better but kept my eyes on the strange man in a red and yellow jacket and black pants. "He's evil…" was all I could make out of her mumbling.
He smiled and adjusted the goggles on his bald head and pushed up the blue glasses on his face. While straightening his huge mustache, he called out, "I am Doctor Eggman. I came here for the princess. I don't know who you are, little orange hedgehog, so step aside. If you don't, it won't be pretty."
His threat was cold despite his calm appearance and broad smile. 'Maybe a Gun agent will come by. I need to buy some time.' I thought. "What do you want with her?" I called out to him while spreading my arms out showing that I wasn't moving.
"I'll tell you, if you must know." he stated. "My scanners were tracking the Chaos Emeralds. They picked up an unusual Chaos energy coming from her, so I sent a spy-bot to scan her while she slept, which was when the energies were at their peak. I translated the wave patterns my spy-bot brought back and it appears that Princess Elise has memories of an event that never happened." he explained.
"What are you getting at, Eggman!" I demanded, still trying to buy time but also curious.
He seemed to get annoyed but continued, "Once I harvest all of her dormant memories, then I will know how to kill my nemesis; Sonic the Hedgehog."
Elise seemed to snap out of her trance once she heard Sonic's name. "Talon," she whispered to me, "I've had dreams of that man along with Sonic. I've never met them as far as I know, but I do know that Sonic is good and that man is evil. We can't let him find out what he needs to know."
I nodded in understanding then called out, "I can't let you do that."
Eggman scowled at my persistence. "What do you care? Sure, the procedure to extract the princess's memories will kill her, but this is not your fight. Back off now, or I'll kill you both and scavenge her brains off the walls to get what I want. No one will stand in my way, especially not some goddamn wannabe hero like you!" he shouted while slamming his fists on his dash.
I crossed my arms in a x-shape with my hands up and open. "I will not let you hurt her." I said in a serious tone.
He smiled and pressed a button. Two missiles slowly stuck out the front of his transport as he shouted, "Then try to protect her! You both will die here where you stand, then nothing will stop me from killing Sonic!" He laughed as the missiles launched.
Time seemed to slow down as I tensed up. I turned and saw Elise on the verge of tears. I closed my eyes and clenched my fists. There was a feeling rising from inside me as the missiles got closer. My eyes opened and I stuck my hands out to the missiles praying for them to stop. 'Elise doesn't deserve to die like this, I won't let her!' I shouted in my mind. Instantly, my body began to become engulfed in a yellow aura. The lights on my bracelets and gloves glowed brighter as I began hovering just off the ground. I focused on the missiles; 'Stop moving…now!' I commanded. As I did, the missiles also became covered in the same yellow aura.
"WHAT?!" Eggman shouted.
I looked around at both me and the missiles. 'How am I doing this?' I asked myself. I looked at Eggman and grinned. "Stay away!" I shouted as I flicked my arms up. The missiles turned around and faced Eggman. I then thrust my right hand out while balling my left fist up at my side. The missiles then fired back at their sender.
"NOOOO!" Eggman cried as the missiles impacted his transport and exploded launching him over the buildings behind him.
The fires from the explosion was heading directly towards Elise and I. I turned around and hugged her, focusing the new powers I had to protect us. A yellow shield materialized around us as the flames spread down the alley.
"You won this time, but I will return!" I barely heard Eggman call to me as the fire died down. I looked up to see black smoke coming from his transport. He was scowling angrily at me and fled as Gun soldiers came running down the street. Some of them shot at Eggman, but he was already out of range and flew off to the distance.
"Princess, are you okay?" one asked as I lowered the shield.
She slowly stood up and responded, "Yes, thanks to Talon."
"It was my pleasure…Princess…Elise…" I responded as I fell to my knees then face. Before I completely blacked out, I could barely hear Elise call my name and a soldier call for a medic.
