Sonic was tired – tired and perplexed. He was still not sure how it happened that he now held a beautiful pink hedgehog mobian prisoner while her father, the real thief, was making his way back towards the comfort of his home. He shook his head. No, it did not make sense.
But then again, he thought as he pushed open the castle's front door, nothing had made sense in his life in a long, long time.
Storming inside the foyer, Sonic nearly collided with Silver and Shadow. The silver coloured candelabrum and the red and black clock had been waiting anxiously for him to return.
"Master" Silver begun "Since the girl is going to be with us for quite some time-"
"And I hope 'forever' was an exaggeration" Shadow said, his tone every bit flat and polished as expected of a majordomo "We don't have the staff for that kind of extended stay…" His voice trailed off as Sonic turned and glared at him.
Not intimidated, Silver forged on. "Whether it's for a day or a lifetime" he said smoothly "You might want to offer her a more comfortable room"
"This whole castle is a prison" Sonic said harshly as his fangs bared out from his mouth
As he spoke, Tails, the golden coatrack, tried to take off the Werehog's cloak. Sonic brushed him off and continued walking towards the grand staircase. Over his shoulder, he added "What difference does a bed make?" Not waiting for an answer, he disappeared into the shadows.
Shadow waited to speak until he was sure his master couldn't hear, and even then, he did so under his breath "Yes. It's a prison thanks to you, you idiot. I just love being a clock" he sighed bitterly. As head of the Werehog's household, Shadow knew he was supposed to be the picture of respect at all times. But sometimes that was difficult. Sometimes it was hard to forget that he and every other member of the staff were in the state they were in because of Sonic who they still had to serve "I knew he wouldn't say yes"
"But technically…he didn't say no" Silver pointed out. Flashing Shadow a sly smile, the silver candelabrum headed towards the stairs that led to the prison tower.
Behind him, Shadow remained still. He knew what Silver had in mind. The romantic yet naïve hedgehog was as easy to read a book. The candelabrum wanted to free the pink girl and put her somewhere more noticeable – in the hopes that she might be the one who could break the curse they were all under, the curse that had remained unbroken for those long years because of one obvious fact: the Werehog was a Werehog, both literally and figuratively. And the curse the echidna Enchantress had placed on them required someone to love him despite that.
Shadow sighed. He knew his friend was well intentioned. But Shadow was a realist. No matter where the girl laid her head, she would never love Sonic. And if Silver got his way and brought her out of prison, it would only make Sonic furious. Shadow began waddling towards the stairs. He was going have to stop Silver before he will do something they would all regret.
But Silver had already opened the cell door. "Forgive my intrusion" he said into the darkness "But the master has sent me to escort you to your room"
Amy was sitting on the floor, her cheeks stained with tears. Hearing Silver's voice, she stood "My room?" she said, sounding confused "But I thought – "
"You thought wrong" Silver replied "He is a Werehog. Not a monster"
A moment later, Amy appeared in the cell doorway, brandishing a stool over her head. She looked around for the source of the voice she had heard.
"Hey" Silver said
Looking down, Amy saw Silver waving at her with one of his candlesticks. She screamed. Then, as if he were a mouse that had surprised her in the pantry, Amy swung the stool at Silver, knocking him to the ground. His candles went out, plunging the tower into darkness.
One by one, the three candles that made up the candelabrum relit in cyan blue flames. As Amy watched, the flickers of light illuminated two golden yellow eyes and a mouth in the elaborate design of the metal "What are you?" she finally asked.
"I am Silver" he replied, flashing Amy what could only be called a rakish smile.
"And you can talk" Amy observed.
Suddenly, Shadow waddled into the tower. He was out of breath from that long climb, and for a moment he just stood there, his little clock chest heaving "Of course he can talk" he finally said "How else is he supposed to communicate?" Turning, he put his hands on his hips and glared at Silver. "As head of the household, I demand to know what you are doing"
"It is better to ask for forgiveness than permission" Silver replied cryptically.
As the duo bickered, Amy inched her way back into the cell. She reappeared a moment later with a pitcher of water in her hands. Seeing the potentially harmful weapon, Silver held up a silver arm.
"One moment…" he said. Then he pulled Shadow aside. He lowered his voice to a whisper. "If we don't break the curse before the last petal falls, we will never be mobian again. What do you want to be for the rest of your life, Shadow – A hedgehog or a mantel clock?"
Shadow frowned. Silver was right. Still… "If he catches us…"
"We will be quiet" Silver promised. He looked at Shadow with an expression bordering on desperate. Finally, Shadow gave the slightest of nods. Silver didn't wait. Turning, he looked back to Amy. "Ready miss?" he asked, bowing and pointing one of his candles towards the tower's exit.
Amy looked back and forth between the candelabrum and the clock. Then looked at the cell. While neither option was exactly comforting, following the talking household objects at least meant getting out of a cell. Taking a deep breath, she leaned down, picked up Silver, and followed Shadow out of the tower.
/
As the trio made their way across a long stone walkway, Amy's eyes darted back and forth. But no matter where she looked, she could not make out an escape route of any kind. The woods that stretched out behind the castle were vast – and a bit intimidating.
Although, she thought as she looked down at her companions, the castle wasn't exactly making her feel warm or fuzzy. She eyed Silver and Shadow and, for the umpteenth time, resisted the urge to turn Silver upside down and look for the strings that had to be making him move. And once again, she stopped herself from peering over her shoulder to try to spot the ventriloquist she knew must be lurking somewhere nearby, giving voice to two objects that, in her experience, were usually inanimate. Both times, she stopped herself because she knew it would do no good. Somehow, the candelabrum and clock were alive.
"You must forgive first impressions" Silver said, as if sensing her thoughts "I hope you are not too startled"
"Startled?" Amy repeated with a sarcastic laugh "Why would I be startled? I'm talking to a candle"
Silver looked aghast "Candel-a-brum" he corrected, enunciating each syllable "Enormous difference. But we do hope you enjoy your stay here. The castle is your home now, so feel free to go anywhere you like –"
"Except the West Wing"
In unison, Amy and Silver turned to look at the clock. But while Silver was shooting him a barely veiled 'Would you please shut your mouth?' look, Amy stared at him with evident curiosity. She opened her mouth to ask where to forbidden West Wing might be but was stopped by Shadow trying to cover his tracks.
"Which we do not have" he added
It was too late. Amy wanted to know more "Why?" she asked "What's in the West Wing?"
"Uh…" Silver stammered, the cyan blue flames on his candles flickering nervously "Nothing. Storage space"
Amy's ears flicked, clearly not buying Silver's explanation. She raised her arm so that Silver's light illuminated a nearby curved stone window, displaying a tower that rose out of the western portion of the castle. As she did so, the moon appeared over the horizon, casting an eerie light on the tower. Amy could have sworn she saw Sonic's shadow in the white light and heard an angry like howl. Shivering, she lowered Silver.
"This way, please" Silver said, eager to move them along.
With one last glance over her shoulder, Amy sighed and once again followed Shadow as he waddled down one hallway and along another. Finally, he came to a stop in front of a large door.
"Welcome to your new home" Silver said in a grandiose tone.
Amy's hand hovered over the doorknob. A part of her wanted to turn the knob. Another part of her was terrified to do so. She had no idea what to expect. If the room was anything like the rest of the castle, with its layers of dust and oppressive sad portraits and decaying furniture, she was going to have to insist they bring her back to the tower.
Taking a deep breath, she turned the knob and pushed open the door. The light from Silver's three candles filled that space. Amy gasped. She was looking into what appeared to be a gorgeous bedroom – far more elegant than any she had ever seen in real life or imagined in her stories.
As if in a dream, she slowly walked inside, her green eyes feasting on every perfect detail of the room. There was a large white-and-gold-painted armoire along one wall, and along another wall a beautiful writing desk had been placed. A chair, covered in rich velvet, was tucked underneath it, and a stack of crisp white paper was placed on one side. Opposite a set of huge picture windows covered by thick satin curtains was an enormous canopy bed that took up nearly a third of the room. And tucked in the corner, delicate and sweet, was a dressing table with a mirror framed in gold. Even the ceiling of the room was breathtaking. White clouds had been painted in a perfect blue sky, the detail so real Amy could have sworn she saw the clouds move.
"It's…beautiful" she finally said when she realized Silver and Shadow were staring at her, waiting for a response.
Silver smiled broadly while Shadow nodded, his pleasure more contained "Of course. The master wanted you to have the finest room in the castle" Silver said, making his way to the bed and leaping onto it. A cloud of dust rose into the air "Oh sweet Gaia! We weren't expecting guests"
As if on cue, a purple feather duster with dark purple feathers swooped into the room. Amy's eyes widened as the duster quickly moved from surface to surface, sweeping until everything shone. Stopping, she bowed in Amy's direction "Don't worry, I'll have this spotless in no time!" she said before turning and jumping into the arms of Silver "This plan of yours is…dangerous" she said, giggling while blinking her amber eyes.
Amy stifled her own giggle as Silver waggled his eyebrows and replied "I would risk anything to kiss you again, Blaze…" He leaned closer and puckered his lips.
Blaze stopped him "No, my love" she said, her voice serious "I've been burned by you before. We must be strong"
"How can I be strong when you make me so weak?" Silver replied
Amy averted her eyes from the romantic pair and turned her attention towards other items in the room. "Is everything here alive?" she asked, picking up a brush. "Hello, what's your name?"
Shadow looked at Amy and shook his head "Um…that's a hairbrush" he said as though pointing out the obvious.
Amy felt a blush form in her cheeks, she was just about to ask what the rules were for enchanted objects when, suddenly, a loud snore sounded behind her sounded behind her. Turning, she yelped as the large armoire's drawers opened and shut by themselves in time with the snoring.
"Do not be alarmed, miss" Silver said calmly "This is just your wardrobe. Meet Madame de Rouge, a great singer"
The armoire let out a long, loud yawn.
"A better sleeper" Shadow added as he walked over and nudged the wardrobe.
With a grunt, Rouge awoke. Blinking the sleep out of her aqua eyes, she gave a surprised little shout when she noticed her audience "Shadow!" she exclaimed in an overly dramatic manner "You officious alarm clock. A diva needs her beauty rest!"
Shadow's springs tightened at the insult and his mouth opened, ready with a sharp rebuke. But Silver didn't give him a chance. He jumped in before Shadow could say a word. "Of course you do, Rouge" he said in his most soothing voice "Forgive us, but we have someone for you to dress"
Spotting Amy for the first time, Rouge emitted a happy cry "Finally!" she said "A mobian woman!" Then, as though she were doing an inventory, Rouge took stock of Amy. "Pretty green eyes. Perfect pink fur. Proud face. A perfect canvas. Yes! I will find you something worthy of a princess" the wardrobe's front drawers flapped open like bat wings and closed in what Amy could only assume was Rouge's version of a happy clap.
"But I'm not a princess" Amy said.
"Nonsense!" Rouge said, brushing off Amy's protest. "Now, let's see what I've got in my drawers" Opening up the top one, she shouted as a few moths flew out. "How embarrassing!" she said.
To Amy's surprise, both sides of the armoire went from white to a soft shad of pink. The armoire was blushing!
Before Amy could ask how such a thing was possible – how any of it was possible, for that matter – Rouge began to pull things helter-skelter out of her drawers and off hangers. A large hoopskirt went over Amy's head, followed by at least four different dresses cut right then and there by the wardrobe to be used as fabric. Amy was turned and twisted as Rouge assembled an outfit.
When Rouge paused to take a breath, Amy sneaked a peek at her reflection in the mirror across the room. To her horror that made her fur stick up, she saw that Rouge had indeed created something from what she had in her drawers. But the result was the most garish ensemble Amy had ever seen. It seemed to swallow her up in shades of blue, pink and yellow. Catching Silver's eye, Amy saw that he was equally mortified. But both he and Shadow backed towards the door. They knew not to mess with Rouge when she was in the middle of a creation.
"Anyway" Silver said "If you further needs, the staff will attend them. We are at your service. Au revior!" Then, with a deep bow, he grabbed Shadow and slipped out of the room. Blaze followed close behind. A moment later, the door closed, leaving Amy alone with Rouge.
Amy didn't hesitate. She had a feeling that if she was ever going to get answers, the diva armoire was going to be the one to give them to her. Turning to Rouge, she asked the question she wanted to ask ever since Silver had revealed himself to her "How did you get here?"
As she suspected, Rouge's aqua eyes lit up at the chance to gossip. Leaning her large frame over the bed, she lowered her voice to a conspiratorial whisper. "All it takes is a stormy night and one spoiled little hedgehog prince…" But Rouge's voice faded into soft snores as sleep overcame her.
Amy sighed. It looked as if she wasn't going to be getting answers after all. At least not anytime soon. Amy quickly slipped out of the disaster of a dress. Then she turned and looked around the room. She was alone, her only guardian fast asleep. Now was the time for her to try to make her escape. The only question was, how?
