King For a Day
"All Hail Shadow, in a sense"
By Asher Tye
Arcane Emotions: I gotta say that sounds like a cool idea… Be kinda interesting to see who would win in a game of Starcraft.
Angelus-alvus: I'm baaaaack…
Anthony Bault: Actually I do know AkumaTH. Found his website when I googled my name and "Silver Fox." I'm also a fan of his sprite comics, though I haven't been able to find the webpage lately. Glad you're willing to be patient; I too believe that rushing stories tends to produce crap. Hopefully this will be worth the wait.
Raziel777: I'm glad you liked my portrayal of Tails, I wanted to make him more active than he usually is lately in the comics. As to Sonic(2)'s rescue... read on MacDuff.
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Tails spent a good five minutes in an agitated state of high speed talking as he related to his friend and hero the events that had occurred since his departure from the castle. Sonic(1), having thankfully spent years both talking and listening to gibberish, had little trouble following what the two-tailed fox was saying.
"So Sonic got himself caught by Flat-Top in there, eh, keed?" Tails nodded in response.
"We must be mounting a rescue," Antoine declared, once he'd finally been able to dull the queasiness in his stomach. "Monsieur Shadow, I know zhat as zhe Prince, Miles, he must be protected at all of zhe costs, but we cannot leave Soneec to be languishing away in zhat fiend's hands."
"Yeah I don't imagine Kintobor will waste any time making sure we can't find him again if we leave. So, what's the plan?"
"The plan mate, is for me to take Prince Miles back to his father so that we can pull back to the kingdom in safety," came an overly dry voice as Geoffrey St. John stepped out of the trees, aiming his crossbow at the trio… or rather at the member of the trio he didn't immediately recognize. "And if you're both very lucky, I might not even arrest you for nearly placing him in so much danger."
"Look, we don't have time for all this blustering you do St. John," Sonic(1) said, in no mood to deal with the skunk's self-important attitude. "I'll try to make this simple by putting it in lingo you can understand; we gotta man down behind enemy lines and we need an extraction pronto."
"I don't care," the skunk replied. "Sonic's welfare is not my concern; Prince Miles's is." Defiance in his eyes, Tails stepped forward with as commanding a stride as he could muster.
"St. John I'm giving you a direct order to help us save Sonic from the Overlanders." The Secret Service Commander, temporarily reassigned, let out a short guffaw.
"Unfortunately for the hedgehog, I don't have to follow your commands. As the Commander of His Majesty's Secret Service, only the King or a designated noble of his court has the authority to tell me what to do. And the ONLY order King Acorn has given me today is to find you and bring you to him. If Sonic was careless enough to let himself get caught when he should have been protecting you, then I can't say I'm sorry."
"We were trying to stop the Overlanders, they were…"
"Spare me the dramatics please. With you it's always something, mainly because you go out looking for trouble that should best be left to those trained to handle it," Geoffrey said. "Your father tells you, your governess tells you, and even your friends tell you. Well now I'm telling you; kindly sit down, shut up, and, for the love of the Walkers, STAY PUT! This is not your task, this is not your job, and, no matter how much you enjoy being a glory hound…" At this point the skunk stopped as he was struck in the head, not by Sonic(1) or by Tails, but by Antoine, who had managed to sneak behind the ranting Mobian. Quickly Antoine slid his sword, the handle of which he'd used as a bludgeon, back into its scabbard.
"Pompous and arrogant fuel," Antoine commented, disdain in his voice. "Could he not see that we are wasting much of the valuable time with his prattling?"
"Oh I like this Antoine," Sonic(1) whispered to Tails. "Any chance we can take him with us when we leave?"
"'Shadow,'" Tails admonished, striking his hero on the shoulder. Fortunately, this exchange appeared to go unnoticed by the coyote in question.
"Okay, so now that Antoine's taken care of Geoffrey St. Pest, I think we should take advantage of the time we have free and go save Sonic."
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It was quiet; an ill omen in the minds of the three Overlander sentries patrolling the southern perimeter of their temporary launch base. Though peace and quiet would have been nice at any other time, on a day where the location they were guarding had been infiltrated by the notorious Sonic the Hedgehog and his Princely partner, and more to the point when said hedgehog was still present, peace and quiet were somewhat unnerving. Particularly since the fox brat would more than likely mount something of a nasty rescue attempt on his friend's behalf that could easily involve several highly trained killers on his Daddy's payroll. All in all, the lone voice that called out to them was actually more of a relief a shocker, at least at the moment.
"Hey guys, it may just be me, but I don't think I belong here, do you?" Immediately, two of the guards pointed their laser rifles at the intruder while the third pointed a floodlight at the target to give them better aim. All were surprised to see a black hedgehog wearing only gloves and a pair of running shoes instead of a whole army. "I don't know, if I were you, I think I'd try to arrest me or something."
"Blow that hedge-rat away," commanded the Overlander with the floodlight. Without even thinking, the two armed guards fired. Quicker than any of them could register, Sonic(1) moved out of the way, racing around and over towards the third Overlander and slamming into his light, breaking it in his hands as the Overlander was knocked rather forcibly to the ground before returning to his original position.
"That's strike one. Ya got two more, and then I'm going in." Once more the two Overlanders fired, but this time Sonic(1) charged head on, tucking himself into a ball as he leapt into a Sonic Spin at one of them. At the sight of what looked like a blue saw blade spinning for his mid section, the soldier panicked and began firing randomly. At the last second Sonic(1) untucked himself, slamming his feet into the midsection of the man, driving the air from him and driving the Overlander to the ground. Rebounding off his target, the black painted hedgehog did a back flip over to the third guard, landing on one palm as he swept his legs at high-speed into the man's knees causing him to tumble to the ground. Quickly, the Overlander tried to right himself only to be stopped as he felt a sharp metal edge rest against his neck.
"Good evenings, mon ami," Antoine said with a smile on his face as he held his sword to the man's neck. In truth, the aristocratic coyote had little intention of completing the threat he was implying, but the guard did not need to know that.
"If we were looking for a friend, say a blue hedgehog, where exactly would we find him?" Tails asked in his sweetest voice.
"You furries'll get nothing from me; Commander Kintobor doesn't bring wimps with him," the Overlander boldly stated.
"That's all right, I think we can guess," Sonic(1) said as he slammed his fist into the temple of the guard's head, knocking him out.
"Uh, 'Shadow…' How exactly are we gonna guess where Sonic is?" Tails asked his friend and hero.
"We keep asking, I just didn't want to give that guy points for stalling us till his buddies arrived. What we need to do is look for a building they could hold a prisoner in, not exactly the easiest thing to do in this canvas jungle."
"Maybe Sonic is in a cage of somezhing. Or a drum?"
"No, no, Colin didn't come here to take prisoners, he wouldn't have anything like a cage," Tails said. "And he wouldn't want to just kill Sonic, not when he could be used to blackmail people like Uncle Chuck. The only thing around here that might stand a chance of holding someone like Sonic would be… the Dark Star!"
"Then that's where we go."
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Meanwhile, inside the Dark Star, Sonic(2) was trying his hardest to cope with a spectacular headache. As if being struck by a piece of flying metal and then slamming into the ground weren't punishment enough, Colin Kintobor had seen fit to "interrogate" his captive, an experience Sonic(2) would have rather lived without. Now, as he sat in the chair he'd been tied to, completely alone, all he could think about was how much his head hurt.
Come on hedgehog, ya gotta think of a way outta here, Sonic(2) chastised himself. We can get an aspirin after we get back to the city. Carefully the hedgehog took stock of his situation. He'd been beaten up and gotten a black eye, been tied to a metal chair that was bolted to the ground, and was no doubt locked in a room somewhere in the only thing he knew of in the area that was made of metal. Of course, that's assuming my luck isn't running true to form and they've already taken me to MegaCentral.
Idly, Sonic(2) began to wiggle in his restraints, testing them to see how much room he had. Much to his dismay, it wasn't much. Suddenly his hand brushed against something sharp; one of his quills. A sly smile spread across his face. Without some speed, he'd never be able to cut even the flimsy metal the chair was made of in time to save himself but, with enough work, the ropes that tied his wrists would be easy to rub against his blade-like fur. Ligaments in his shoulders and arms screamed their protests as he bent himself against the back of the chair, trying to raise his wrists enough to draw the ropes back and forth across his lowest quill. Thanks to the daily limbering exercises he'd been made to do under Sir Connery's training, the hedgehog was actually quite flexible, and soon he had the satisfying sensation of feeling the ropes snap for him. Feeling much freer now, Sonic(2) quickly began to unbind himself, though he slowed down a little when he felt his head start hurting again.
"Now all I have to do is figure a way out of here and back to my friends." As if the door had heard him, it suddenly slid open. Immediately Sonic moved into a combat stance, ready for anything; anything except what walked through the door.
"Well this is good. I was afraid we'd have to waste time getting you loose from something," Sonic(1) said as he entered the room, followed closely by Tails and Antoine. Sonic(2), having already been told about parallel universes from Tails's own lips, could only stare in wonder at the hedgehog who, aside from being black, looked almost exactly like him. There were some minor differences of course, but other than that…
I guess he really was telling the truth about being from a parallel universe… Either that or someone's gone to a lot of trouble to look like me.
"Sonic, you're all right," Tails said as he grabbed the blue hedgehog in a hug, a show of affection that was as much for Antoine's benefit as it was completely truthful. For a few minutes, the fox kit had actually worried that this reality's Sonic was dead. Thanks to the alien Xorda, he knew what it was like to lose a hero and a friend, and he thanked the Walkers that Sonic(1) had been returned to him. How could he face the fox he was supposed to be impersonating knowing that HIS Sonic had died on Tails's watch?
"I am theenking that we should probably be getting going while it is still good, Oui," Antoine interrupted.
"Yeah, you're probably right Twan," Sonic(1) said, turning to his counterpart and staring at the bruises on his face and chest. "You hurt or anything?"
"Not really… uh…" It was at that point that the black hedgehog realized he had not introduced himself.
"Shadow," he said, gripping the blue hedgehog's hand. "Shadow Vidmar; at your service. And what I mean is; can you run?"
"Okay, 'Shadow.' I should be able to. Wouldn't enjoy bouncing off anything if that's what you wanna know."
"No prob, just leave the baddies to me." So saying, Sonic(1) hefted Antoine, the heavier of the two "slower" Mobians, onto his back. "Think you can carry Ta… Prince Miles?"
"Like I said," Sonic(2) replied, helping the fox cub up onto his back. "I'm good as long as I don't have to do the whole pinball thing." With that, the two hedgehogs sped out the door and away. Unfortunately, they didn't get far before they were stopped by a squad of ten Overlanders, led by none other than Colin Kintobor himself.
"Well, I must say I am impressed your 'Highness.' You've managed to sneak into my base not once, but twice in the same day. I do feel I should point out, however, that your ability to leave equally undetected leaves much to be desired." All four of the Mobians moved into defensive stances. "Oh please, at these close quarters, there's no way my soldiers couldn't overpower all of you, particularly with the squire there in sub-par condition. I would heartily suggest you surrender. If you're fortunate, we'll make giving you back to your father a token concession on our part when he surrenders to the might of MegaCentral's new battle station." Sonic(1) began to snicker at this.
"You know, Colin, you're right, Sonic's not really in any condition to deal with you and your little toy soldiers," he said in his snidest voice. "But if you want, I'm more than willing to play with you."
"What?"
"Hey Princey?"
"Yes 'Shadow,'" Tails responded, though he grated somewhat at being referred to as "Princey."
"You know any other ways outta this overgrown ping-pong ball?"
"Yeah, I think I do."
"Good. Get Sonic and Antoine out while I make sure these goofballs don't bother us anymore." Needing no further encouragement, Tails grabbed both of his friends' hands and took off back down the hallway.
"That was stupid," Kintobor commented. "At least with the Prince here, my men had incentive to be careful as to where they aimed their guns. He's actually worth catching alive. You on the other hand, are about to have more holes in you than cheese."
"Speaking of cheesy…"
"Enough! Ready, Aim, FIRE!" At the Commander's command, all ten Overlander soldiers aimed their guns at the black hedgehog and fired.
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As he ran, Tails heard the sound of gunfire and threw a worried look over his shoulder. He wished Sonic(1) hadn't told him to leave and get the others out, but there really weren't any other options. So long as they were there, the possibility remained that something would happen to them, and that something would inevitably distract Sonic(1) long enough for him to get hurt. Still, he hoped the now black hedgehog was not overestimating his own abilities.
"My Prince, we must be making for the escape hatches," Antoine said, noticing how Tails had slowed down in his thoughts.
"Right, we have to go."
"Don't worry kid, I'm sure Shadow can handle himself."
"I hope so, Sonic, I hope so."
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Meanwhile, as the dust kicked up by the lasers striking the ground began to clear, Commander Kintobor smiled to himself. What that black hedgehog had intended to do still remained a mystery to him, but as the spiky pest was now most likely dead, Colin simply didn't care. Quickly he raised his communicator to his lips.
"Control, I have neutralized one of the intruders, but be advised there are still three…"
"You know what your problem is, Colly?" a voice asked as the dust finally settled, revealing a familiar spiky figure standing before him. "You give yourself WAAAAY too much credit for things you didn't do."
"What? How? It's not possible for you to still be standing there."
"Oh if you think that was impossible," Sonic(1) stated as his body began to flicker "this is really gonna blow your mind." Suddenly, the hedgehog was gone, moving too fast for the Overlanders to keep track of despite the close quarters. One of the soldiers let out a pained grunt as a glove covered fist slammed into his nose, breaking it. In the split second he was visible, the other Overlanders pointed their rifles at Sonic(1), only to watch in dismay as he again disappeared, this time sweeping the legs of another Overlander before moving on.
"You idiots! Don't just stand there! Shoot him, SHOOT HIM!!" Commander Kintobor yelled.
"Yeah, shoot me, shoot me," Sonic(1) mocked as he landed on Colin's shoulders while the soldiers took aim.
"No! Wait! Don't shoot!"
"Wimp." Was all the comment Sonic(1) made as he catapulted himself forward, bringing the heel of his foot down hard on another Overlander. Again and again Sonic(1) moved, attacking the soldiers and moving too fast for them to get a proper target on him. Soon, the only one left was Kintobor, upon whom Sonic(1) leapt, grabbing his collar and planting his feet firmly onto the Overlander's chest, forcing the Commander down to his back.
"Who are you?" the militaristic Overlander demanded.
"You could call me a friend of the Royal Family," the hedgehog said cryptically. "And I'm only gonna say this once, Kintobor, don't you ever try this again. Now that we know what you creeps in MegaCentral were planning to do, you'll be lucky if Acorn doesn't send his whole army there and level your city."
"You wouldn't dare. We'd crush you."
"Yeah, you'd be surprised what we can do, Colly, particularly when we're mad. I'd suggest you clear outta here and send ol' Miles a reeeeeal nice Ascension gift to show you wanna make nice for his big day, and maybe the King'll be in such a good mood, he won't wanna hang your head in his throne room."
"And if I refuse?" As he said this, Commander Kintobor unholstered his sidearm, bringing it up to blast the hedgehog. Before it could even be aimed, Sonic(1)'s foot struck the Overlander's wrist, sending the gun flying back down the hall.
"Trust me, you don't really wanna refuse," Sonic(1) said snidely. Suddenly, the black painted hedgehog stamped his foot down hard, striking Kintobor in the head. "Go ahead, take a nap, think about my suggestion." With that, Sonic(1) took off to meet up with his friends.
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Tails looked somewhat worriedly at the Overlander encampment, waiting for his Sonic to suddenly speed up the walls of the fissure.
"Prince Miles, you must be staying away from the edge of the Forest Scar, please," Antoine reprimanded the younger Mobian as he stood over near the downed Commander St. John, trying to use the skunk's communicator to summon help. "It would not do for zhe Overlanders to capture you after we have been coming so far."
"I'm worried about 'Shadow,'" Tails explained. "I don't like the idea of him being in there alone with all the Overlanders."
"Don't worry 'Miles,' I'm sure he's all right," Sonic(2) said, his tone varying between placating and jealousy. He'd never thought he'd ever hear such concern from his friend for anyone other than himself, and it didn't help that he knew the fox standing before him was not his Miles. Internally, the hedgehog wondered if that made him shallow.
Am I so caught up in having his hero worship that I can't even bare the thought of another version of him looking up to another version of me? Before that train of thought could be taken to its final destination, a loud sonic boom was heard as a round, black blur shot up into the air, the ball making it unfolding into a hedgehog form that began to orient itself for a landing as Sonic(1) made his appearance in a fashion that impressed even his counterpart.
"What's everyone looking down there for?" the hedgehog asked. "The show's up here."
"So… Shadow, you made it," Tails said, offering his best friend a high five.
"You two… know each other?" Antoine asked, curious as to when the Prince would have met someone like Shadow.
"Uh, yeah. He helped me when I was… was… in Echidnopolis. He was living there. I'm just surprised to find him down here."
"Well, I… I moved," Sonic(1) said. "Yeah, I moved down here. Not enough room to run on the island, so I came down here don't you know."
"Really? That your parents would be moving for such a trifling reason, it seems so… so unlikely." At the coyote's words, both hedgehogs looked aghast.
"Running is never trivial," both said in a shocked voice, causing Antoine to backpedal away from them. Suddenly remembering his manners, Sonic(1) turned to Sonic(2) and extended his hand.
"Like I said before, the name's 'Shadow.' It's a pleasure to meet you."
"Sonic's the name, fast is my game. But I get the feeling you already knew that," Sonic(2) said, taking the hand. "And I also get the feeling I should feel honored to meet such an impressive hedgehog."
"Oh, I wouldn't call myself impressive… Cool beyond belief probably… handsome beyond compare most definitely… A legend in my…"
"If you two humble hedgehogs are done," Tails said as he walked past them towards the forest. "I think we should get going. Unless you two want to give each other auto… ACK!!" Tails never got to finish his quip as a large hand suddenly grabbed the fox kit by the throat.
"Didn't think you were done with me yet, did you freak?" Kodos asked as he stepped forth from the cover of the trees. Immediately the Mobians who were awake got into attack position, the two Sonics edging their way around so they could be on either side of the villain. "Uh-uh, I don't think so. Both you pincushions get back next to the skunk, or I make myself a fur belt outta this brat's pelt."
"Don't you dare bandit…" Sonic(2) began.
"Don't patronize me, Sonic. Not even you're fast enough to stop me from snapping his neck if you try anything funny." To emphasize his point, the lion placed a large thumb onto the side of Tails's neck. "You, the coyote..."
"My… my name is Antoine," Antoine said defiantly.
"I don't care. Get the rope out of the skunk's backpack and use it to tie up both of these hedgehogs."
"Both, monsieur? Is that not going just a bit over the ship while it is at sea?"
"Nah, I don't think so. My gut tells me this black hedgehog is as big a pain as the blue one. Now do what I say if you don't want this brat to start screaming."
"If you do not remove your hands from my son this instant, bandit, you shall be the one screaming," King Acorn said as he stepped out of the treeline, his sword drawn and an expression of fury on his face.
"Don't tell me you think you can stop me, Max."
"Unhand the Prince villain. You'll gain nothing by holding onto him," Connery said as he appeared on the other side of the lion, his weapon also drawn for battle. Kodos looked from the squirrel to the horse, and then back to Tails who was still struggling to breathe in his grip. A thought crossed his mind, an evil malicious thought that caused a cruel grin to appear on his face as he considered the hostage he held.
"You're right Connery, I gain nothing by holding onto this little brat." Suddenly, Kodos turned to face the horse knight as he hurled Tails full force at him. "You take him!"
Moving quickly, Sir Connery moved to protect his "Prince," trying to soften the impact as the fox cub slammed into the knight's breastplate hard and fell unconscious. Momentarily distracted by concern for his "son's" safety, King Max didn't notice as Kodos charged him, the giant war-axe that was his signature weapon swinging above his head. Just in the nick of time, King Acorn lifted the Sword of Acorns over his head to deflect the axe's strike. Quickly the squirrel moved out of the way as Kodos attacked with his fist too.
"You move a lot like the kid Max. Hopefully you'll provide more sport."
"I am no one's sport, bandit, especially not yours," Maximillian said as he swung around with his sword, forcing Kodos to duck or be cut by the King's blade. "You will find I am far more dangerous than children." Knowing now that "Miles" was safe in Connery's custody, King Acorn turned his full attention to his opponent and began to turn the tide on the larger Mobian. Though Kodos's axe would have had easy pickings of any other sword, the mystical Sword of Acorns proved to be far more difficult to break.
Again and again Kodos grunted and grimaced as the King attacked him, landing kicks and punches while successfully deflecting the lion's own attacks. As Kodos reared up to trying to strike his opponent, he found his axe suddenly stopped before he could pull it forward. He turned his head just in time for his chin to meet Sir Connery's fist. Having deposited Tails with his friends, the horse knight had come to the aid of his King, and that was not the least of the bandit lord's problems. In the distance, the sound of more guards could be heard making their way towards their sovereign's position. This was quite obviously a lost fight.
"You may think you've got me, Max, but I know a secret you and horse-face would kill to know," Kodos said, a nasty smirk on his face as he edged away from the forest.
"Nothing you say is of interest to me villain," Maximillian countered.
"Don't be so sure, Maxy. You wouldn't believe the things we outlaws hear, particularly when it comes to you royals. I'm sure the two tailed freak would agree if…"
"You will be silent," Maximillian commanded, his sword aimed at the lion's chest. "I will not allow you to insult my son so freely."
"Who ever said I was insulting your s… AH!" Sonic(1), sensing where this was going, had chosen that moment to spindash into the lion's back. The bandit proved too solidly built for Sonic(1)'s attack to do much damage, but, in combination with Sonic(2)'s own attack on Kodos's knees, it proved enough to send him to the ground. Kodos looked up from the ground to find the Sword of Acorns pointed at his face.
"Surrender! NOW!!" Kodos's formerly smiling face twisted into a scowl as he used one of his arms to swipe the King's feet out from under him. Unable to continue battle, Kodos pushed himself up by his hands and, placing his axe back in its harness, made the decision that discretion was the better part of valor. He did not make it more than a few feet, however, before he was hit by Sir Connery's shoulder. Though Kodos was a big Mobian, Connery was just as massive and far more knowledgeable in how to use his bulk. The bandit lord was sent flying several feet to the edge of the ravine.
"The King ordered you to give up."
"And what incentive do I have to do that, Connery?" Kodos asked as he got back to his feet for a third time. "Have you forgotten that back in your precious kingdom, I'm a dead man?"
"Only a coward fears death, Kodos. Your fate is the consequence of the choices you made. For once make the honorable choice in your life and surrender." At the knight's words, Kodos's shoulders slumped as he bowed his head.
"Yes, I… I see your point, Sir Connery," he said in a defeated tone of voice. Suddenly, however, Kodos charged at the horse, his claws bared. "How about if I simply kill you first though!" If Kodos's defeated appearance had fooled anyone, it was solely himself, as Connery swung a mighty fist to connect directly with the lion's jaw. This, combined with the abuse Kodos had taken from Tails, the Sonics, and King Acorn, proved enough to send the rogue staggering backwards, back to the edge of the Forest Scar.
"Kodos, watch out!" Connery called, unwilling to have the former bandit lord's life on his hands. Whether the lion had heard the warning or not proved a moot point as Kodos lost his footing, falling from the edge of the ravine. Connery edged over to the crevice to find his enemy hanging by a single hand.
"Connery! Help me, please," the bandit lord begged as hot wind whipped through his mane.
"Give me your hand," the horse commanded, extending his own to the bandit. Quickly, Kodos grabbed hold of the proffered limb.
"Thank you, thank you," Kodos began, then his face suddenly twisted in an evil sneer as he hissed. "How very noble of you!" With a roar, Kodos yanked with all his might on the helping hand, fully intending to throw the knight over the edge and to his death. But Connery was nobody's fool, and had anticipated Kodos's cowardly action. Cooly the Mobian noble slid his fingers from Kodos's grip. Without Connery's added weight, the force of Kodos's throw was enough to wrench free the hand he was using to grip the side of the ravine. Connery watched dispassionately as Kodos tumbled through the air, falling all the way to the bottom of Forest Scar.
"So ends a life misspent," was all Connery said as he watched the lion's death.
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A character's death, a vicious Sonic, and Max actually playing the protective parent, this was a busy chapter. And we haven't even hit the climax yet. As always, if you read, please review.