Interlude IV

Turning Point

"Just this morning everything was perfect!" Balthazar roared at her prison guard. "Then you go and screw everything up! You let that hedgehog free. Now my own commanders are failing me, letting a rebel force sneak into my citadel, and another army marching upon it now! Grr!"

"Shall I dispose of him, my lady?" Salazar offered politely.

"No, I will enjoy this pleasure today, love." Balthazar told Salazar. "Watch the home defenses. Make sure they get the imbeciles hiding here, and make sure that force gets crushed. Report back to me once the rebel scum have been cleared of my citadel."

"As you request, my empress." Salazar bowed. Balthazar gave him a passionate kiss before he left, and then whispering in his ear.

"If you see any Prower or any injured rebel" She softly spoke to him. "Kill them. Take no prisoners."

"As you command, empress." Salazar obediently responded. He bowed one last time, before turning around and walking out of the marble hall.

She then turned to glare at the prison guard from her red throne as the guard shivered with fear. "You are dismissed."

The guard, hardly believing his luck, turned around to leave the hall. As soon as his back was turned, Balthazar pulled out a blaster, and fired. The tricked guard fell down to the ground in a clump.

"Fool…" She coldly spoke to his corpse. "I don't let utter failures live in this citadel."

"Guards! Slay all the prisoners that we have left! Let us enact this no prisoner policy immediately!"

"Yes, empress!" The guards responded, moving out of the room to deal with the prisoners.

Balthazar sat back in her chair and relaxed. As soon as those rebels were out of her hair… she could truly relax. The world would be hers. She wouldn't have to car about anything…

A smile began to form on her face as she thought of all her enemies, hanging from her tower, showing the sign of the power of her reign. "Soon…" She whispered to herself.

"Soon..."

"Tsunami… are you sure you know where you are going? I think we are really off track…" Violet worriedly looked upon the water as the four-tailed sea fox/wolf beneath her continued to motor his way through the water.

"I told you I have terrible luck!" Tsunami reminded her. "Besides, I'm used to swimming underneath water rather than on it. It's been a while since I've swam this way."

Violet glanced upon the foggy sky. It had been like this, and Tsunami had been really uneasy about swimming in the fog. "You never know what dangers hide within the mist." Tsunami had warned her. She had tried to ease his fears, and eventually he agreed to swim. Yet was it a bad idea after all?

"Oh, I hope we're not too far away from shore." Violet groaned.

"I think we're still pretty close to the coast." Tsunami reassured her. "Of course… knowing my luck…"

Suddenly the two toppled into a protruding rock, and Violet practically landed hard on the side. She moaned as she got up from her fall, the salty water filling her mouth. A drop of blood began to drop from her leg. Tsunami was already up, bumbling apologies to her.

"Well… at least we definitely know we're near the coast." Violet bitterly spoke. She then sighed, and tried to look happier, for Tsunami's sake. "Come on, let's go this way, back to land."

She clambered through the water as her companion practically walked through the wet sea as if he was walking on landmass. Astonished, Violet tried to keep up by running alongside him, but even then she couldn't stay with him.

They finally touched waterless sand as the fog finally cleared up. Sand surrounded them from the east to west, but to the north lied several trees, albeit somewhat rocky. "Well, it looks like you have company." Tsunami informed her as he pointed her out to a group of soldiers walking through the trees. "I'd avoid them if I were you."

At first Violet feared that see was looking upon Balthazar's men, but then to her surprise, she saw rebel insignias on their armor. "It's… It's them…" Violet gasped, nearly overcome with emotion. "Oh Tsunami, it's the rebels at last! I'll finally get to see my mother!" To Tsunami's surprise, she squeezed the fox with an almost delirious grin on her face. "Oh, come on Tsunami, let's go."

Tsunami shook his head sadly. "Nah, go on without me, Violet. I know my brother's forces are searching for me still. I must hide in the sea, where they cannot find me."

"But what about friends? We can protect you!"

Tsunami gave Violet a solemn glance. "Perhaps, but I do not possess the love or emotion that you have for your parents. I am alone."

"Only for now, Tsunami." Violet responded. "One day, I'm going to see you again. You practically saved me! How can I not call you friend?"

Tsunami gave her a small smile. "Thanks, Violet." He turned around to the sea. "Well, back to safety." Violet watched the fox dive right back into the water. Violet knew he would not resurface for several hours. Still, she looked on a bit, until she looked back, noticing that the rebels were almost out of sight.

She began to sprint happily, her feet pounding on the rocky sand and grass, calling out to them. "Hey! Hey! Over here!"

It took about thirty seconds of running and calling before one of them looked back. Then the soldiers began to run toward her. "Violet!" The soldier shouted. They recognized her!

It was Espio, the chameleon, one of the chaotix her father had told her about. Violet and the rebels continued running toward her, but in her haste, Violet tripped over a tree root, falling to the rocky ground. "Groan…"

The soldiers were now at her side. "Well, if I'm not drunk!" One of the soldiers cried out. "You're Tails daughter! No one else has those eyes or those violets on their head."

"Heh, but you best be more careful during your sprints." Espio warned her. We're close to Balthazar's capitol, and there are a few land mines around. I feared you tripped over one for a second. He scrutinized her for a moment."What are you doing separated from your father? He's marching on the citadel with a whole army right now."

"So they made it?" Violet asked, excited. "Yes!" She practically jumped up in joy as the other rebels looked at her, confused. "Oh, we were separated during a maelstrom. I fell overboard, and was fighting the waves, but I think I was unconscious when a sea-fox/wolf saved me and brought me here."

"Hmm. Sea-foxes are pretty rare." A rebel commented. "One that is half-wolf must be legendary."

"That's because they're cowards." Another spoke up. "Stay at the sea their entire lives. Make us fishermen angry."

Espio put up his hand to silence them as he examined her leg. "Well, we'll have a medic attend the wound. "Humph… well, I'd hate to bring you back now. We are on the way to the citadel, that's where everyone's heading, even Amy and your mother. They're determined to make this our final stand. With Tails and those foxes fighting too, we just might be able to pull through."

"Yes!" Violet cried happily. "Everything's going to be alright!"

"Granted we don't run into land mines before we even get there." Espio muttered to himself. "Tails would hate it if you appeared to him in two pieces."

A/N: There are four more chapters and one epilogue remaining. Not everyone shall make it to the end…