Painful Memories

The Incident: Sleet's Memories And The Queen's Recollections

Sleet instantly returned to scowling and sulking. He zapped Dingo back to normal after roughly knocking him to the floor. "Ow," Dingo moaned, rubbing his head. He shook it off. "What are we gonna do Sleet?" he questioned fearfully.

"We obey him of course idiot! What other choice do we have!" Sleet replied.

"So we're getting new neighbors? Oh boy!" Dingo excitedly declared.

"No! Not oh boy!" Sleet yelled. Quickly he got control of himself though. He then said in a calmer tone, "But I admit I look forward to experimenting with his new toys. This could be fun." He chuckled evilly then continued, "Come Dingo. Let's go help our boss settle then begin our hunt."

"All right, oh Sonia," Dingo said in longing.

Sleet rolled his eyes saying, "You aren't going to lay a hand on Princess Sonia! Get it through your head! How did I get stuck with a moron like you?"

"Sorry Sleet," Dingo apologized.

"Not half as much as I am," Sleet retorted.

"So who will we go after first?" Dingo asked. Sleet paused. Dingo nearly walked into him but managed to stop in time. "Sleet?" Dingo asked.

Sleet looked at the gadget Eggman had given him. Dingo watched curiously as his 'friend' petted it with a finger. Finally Sleet opened it. Dingo gasped in awe when he saw a pink hedgehog dot and a green hedgehog dot appear on the radar somewhere quite a long ways away, back on Mobius in fact. Actually, back in Mobodoon. It wasn't too far to reach in good time though. Sleet suddenly spoke saying, "Where her children are Queen Aleena is bound to be. If we take her, the children will come. If we focus on Sonia or Manic she will step in and we'll have them all. Either way we win. Let's play it by ear for the most convenient opportunity."

"How do ya know she's not watching Sonic or us mate?" Dingo asked.

Sleet closed his eyes seriously then chuckled cruelly. "Ah Dingo, there are some things I know more about than even the oh so great Dr. Eggman. Just because he put them on the back burner didn't mean I would. Of course, I haven't found out anything new since, well, since we returned here empty handed after the incident. As for how I know she's not following Sonic… Eggman just said he would have found her if she had been. Besides, I knew it even before him."

"Ooh, is it story time Sleet?" Dingo asked.

"Yes Dingo, if you want to call it that," Sleet replied with a cruel smile.

"I'm listenen mate," Dingo said attentively.

"She was separated from her children, stuck with us. Of course I didn't know that at first, but that same night I saw her as we were camping on the cliff spot, hoping for either Robotnick or Sonic Underground to return. I moved, she heard and saw. We both fell silent, but she never stayed around to snoop more. She ran. I followed her. She knew I was following. She never went to the hideout of the freedom fighters, that is, assuming there was one nearby. I think it took her only seconds to realize she couldn't lose her pursuer. She ran to a clearing and collapsed in tears, weeping for her children. She thought I would take her then and there if not kill her. I know she thought it."

"Did you?" Dingo asked in awe of his partner.

Sleet fell silent, cruel smirk leaving, falling to a quiet expression. After a time he replied, "No…" Seeing Dingo's face he quickly added, "I don't know why I didn't. I regret it now though. I suppose I thought she would lead me to her children again. When you were asking me those stupid questions about where we were going and I said I was trying to find someone, I meant her, not a client or somebody to tell me what we were doing in a human-like world. Only I knew that we were right on her tail. A long while later, maybe months, maybe years, I realized that she had found one of her children. She seemed to be more hopeful and not wallowing in despair. Only a few more days later she found the other. She slowly began to sink into dejection again though. I wondered why at first, but the night she finally shook me I realized that she was mourning. She couldn't find Sonic. She thought he was dead. I felt differently, I don't know who told her he was dead or what gave her the idea, but she believed he was gone. I was in a good mood, sure she wouldn't shake me, so I stupidly left her alone again, having fun with the tracking. The next morning I'd lost her."

"So, they think Sonic's dead, and he thinks they're dead," Dingo said.

Sleet nodded saying, "It will make it all the more easy to capture them during their joyous reunion; all four of them." With that he laughed. Dingo joined him. They entered the room where Eggman's robots were beginning to transform Sleet's hideaway into a base.

The wind blew through her hair as she stood on the rock, looking over the land, tears in her eyes, remembering.

I've lost track of time since that day. How long has it been? Months, years? I am no longer sure. My children were fighting their enemies. I could hardly bear to stay away from them. I wanted desperately to show myself. I was within an arm's reach of them hiding. Then, just like that, they were gone, all of them. Only Sleet and Dingo remained. I thought it had been their fault, but they looked just as shocked and confused as I. Where were my children?

I remember overhearing Sleet and Dingo's plan to camp the night on the cliff in case Eggman or the Underground returned. I remember sneaking into their camp to look for clues, to know for sure whether or not they were behind it. He heard me, the traitorous creature. He came flamboyantly out of the tent. We met each other's eyes for a shocked moment then I ran. I heard him following me for a time, then nothing, yet I knew he was there. Always there, haunting my footsteps, Sleet.

I knew I couldn't escape. Within seconds I'd known it. I felt hopeless. My dear children had been taken from me. I didn't know whether they were alive or dead. I recall remembering the first time I almost lost one of them, Manic. Sleet was in the process of robotacizing the boy. If he only knew, that cursed wolf. When I appeared he was in awe, then he ran from me the instant he fully realized. He spared Manic then, though he could have easily finished him, but I think, I know, that he wanted only to save his own life. That was the first time in years, with the exception of the bogus wedding to Eggman, that I had looked upon his face from such a short distance. It hadn't changed, except that this time there was nothing that could be salvaged.

I remember finally giving up, knowing I could never escape him, believing I would never see my children again. After this, if he ever found the children, he wouldn't go as easy on them as he had been. He wouldn't underestimate them again. My heart was on the border of being shattered and I just… I just collapsed in a forest clearing sobbing, waiting to feel him roughly drag me up and take me captive or kill me. Eventually I was to wish he had, but he didn't. I don't dare to fathom why not. I was completely vulnerable, totally at his mercy, but all I felt were his eyes upon me, his presence lingering over my prone figure, looking bitterly down. I had no fight left in me. I fell asleep, though, beneath his merciless gaze. He'd never made a move. Maybe there was some humanity yet left in him to pity a grieving mother?

I wandered everywhere looking for my children. They were following me, the bounty hunters, but I was passed caring. Dingo was probably clueless. I had my first sign of hope when I came upon a sewer in a strange city filled with humans. Worlds had somehow converged. How I know not. There was a necklace about my neck, my own. It began to glow green and I knew Manic was alive. I went into the sewer to find him. There he was, sitting on the dry walkway weeping for his siblings, for a mother. My heart broke for my son and I longed to go to him. However, I needed to find Sonia and Sonic. I joined him in weeping. Then I saw a friend of his coming towards him. At least I assumed so. Manic was at ease, so I continued on my journey.

Days passed until finally, far from where I'd left Manic, my necklace began to glow pink. My daughter was alive! I could hardly contain myself. I found her in a rich neighborhood park. Of course she would go where she felt at ease. She was sitting on a swing crying. I myself joined her in weeping from my hiding place. I had found two of them, now I had to join them together. I was afraid of what they would do to themselves if they thought all was lost. I couldn't risk waiting to find Sonic. Together Sonia and Manic would search for him, and I would search myself. We would find him. So I stepped out from behind the tree and began to softly hum a song I sang to them once as children. Sonia recognized it and looked up. I disappeared. She called to me.

"Mother? Mama, please, come back!" she sobbed, screamed. "Mom, I need you! Please, I need you so much!"

I couldn't turn back, couldn't comfort her though I wanted so badly to. I knew by now that it was still too soon. She understood soon enough that I would not leave her, yet I wouldn't come back to her. She sensed I was leading her to her siblings. I could tell from the way her eyes lit up hopefully. I led her straight to the city. When night fell I would motion for her to rest before fading into the darkness. When she was out in the open I would often wait for her to fall asleep then stroke her hair softly, watching her. When we reached the strange city I took her to the sewers. Her dislike about getting dirty never stopped her this time. Her necklace had begun to glow.

Soon I simply pulled into a different branch of the sewer. She ran by shouting Manic's name and Sonic's. He heard. He called her suddenly, desperately, from down the branch I had dodged into. "Sonia? Sonia, wait, please!"

I let him see me. He called for me, but I ran. He followed. All at once I saw Sonia coming towards us and I jumped to the sewer pipes high up to hide. The two saw each other. There was a long pause, then in seconds they were in each others arms sobbing, talking, asking about each other, about me, about where Sonic was. I listened to their reunion, to their vow to find Sonic, all the while waiting for the bounty hunters to show up, but they didn't. As the two walked away I jumped down and began searching for my little lost boy.

I remember my heart shattering when I could find no trace of him; shattering again when Sonia and Manic finally gave up thinking him dead and began mourning. It was only days later that I too had to face facts. My son was dead… I couldn't go on any longer. I broke down weeping, sobbing, calling for him, calling for Sleet to take me already. I felt his cruel eyes watching me, hearing my words. He still never came. My son is dead. I didn't want to live. I had to though, for the other two, so I finally managed to shake the hunters. My son is dead…

She was now crying uncontrollably. She collapsed to her knees burying her face in her hands. She had to stop, had to be strong. She had to protect the remainder of her offspring, to help them, because goodness knew their father wouldn't. It was time to stop mourning, time to face her enemies head on. There was a time and place to remember, but now was not that time. Eggman, or Robotnick, had returned, she sensed it, and he was more powerful than ever before.