WARNING: Child neglect, mentions of domestic abuse, and a possible death?
Song: Taylor Swift-Love Story (Male version)
Chapter 25: A King, His Queen, And A Thief
'My mom split when I was three, didn't even bother to leave me at a fire station or Child Services. She just left me all by myself in that ratty rundown apartment on the shitty side of Moebius. I survived two months by myself, eating cockroaches, and drinking the dirty bath water she forgot to drain.
Scumbag Daddy was always off somewhere fuckin' around. Mom couldn't take his bullshit anymore so she bounced. Thankfully that time he came home early. He usually only came around every six to seven months. He didn't stick around though, and he didn't want any charges pressed on him or Mom for child neglect.
So he left me in that shitty apartment after he took off, paying a few prostitutes in the area to come check up on me every now and again.
I grew up in a dangerous area, surrounded by dangerous people, and dangerous drugs. I didn't choose this life, it was chosen for me. I was selling drugs at six, and doing drugs at eight. I fought in underground street fights, and robbed a few places from time to time.
I hate my parents, and I hope to Chaos they're dead.
I had to keep up with appearances so Child Services wouldn't get all up in my ass, so I was forced to go to school. I beat up kids in the schoolyard, stole food from vending machines, and skipped class on the regular. I had a best friend named Geoffrey St. John, and he was just as shitty and angry as me. Whenever we got in trouble for our antics, his dad would come in and pretend to be my dad too. I used to wish he was honestly.
At nine I met my first crush. She was a star in my eyes.
Her auburn hair, those sapphire eyes, and that caramel color…everything about her was perfect.
The new girl, from the rich side of Moebius.
She had everyone falling to their knees for her, practically throwing their hearts at her.
A true queen.'
"Mmm." Sally grumbled in her sleep as she shivered.
After the incident at the party, the chipmunk didn't want to go back to Green Hill Academy, not without her glasses. Scourge refused to leave her out by herself, so he stood with her. The two found refuge in an alleyway. He laid out some old newspaper on the ground for them to lay on. When they fell asleep they were far apart from one another, but now they laid together.
He was cuddling up to her from behind, both arms draped around her in an attempt to shield her from the cold air. The sun was just rising, making the sky a pretty pink color. Her grumbling had stirred him awake.
He took advantage of her sleep state to scope her out. When he first met her he wasn't sure if she was the girl. Her demeanor and confidence had drastically changed, but her physical appearance led him to believe otherwise. There was no mistaking it, she was the one. He nuzzled his face into the crook of her neck, inhaling that lavender scent he so desperately missed. His hand trailed along the side of her body, from her shoulder to her knee as he reveled in the feel of those familiar curves.
He was finally right where he's secretly always wanted to be. He closed his eyes, savoring the moment.
The green hedgehog quickly pulled away as the chipmunk tossed and turned, to his relief she was still asleep. Now she faced him, and his mouth fell into a sympathetic frown. The once flawless face he remembered from youth was now covered in a series of nasty scars.
The chipmunk's eyes soon fluttered open, and she immediately shoved him away with a blush creeping on her face.
"Don't!" She yelped, "Don't stare."
He scooted his way back over to her, cupping her face in his hand, forcing her to look at him. She looked terrified.
"What happened to you? You used to be so confident, and bold." He told her, "This whole timid and shy shit is cute, but we both know it's not you."
"You don't know me." She snapped, swatting his hand away as she sat up. He did the same. They now sat across from each other, eyeing one another down.
"You moved to Moebius with your dad and sister when you were eight. You went to Kintobor Scholars for grade school and junior high. You're ambidextrous, and you used to stand out on your balcony late at night." He poured out almost every bit of information he knew about her, trying so hard to convince her that he knew so much more than she realized. "You've also got this birthmark shaped like an acorn WAY high on your inner thigh—"
She cut him off by slamming her foot into his groin again, a deep blush on her face. He winced in agony before holding himself. Chaos she had some powerful legs. When he felt strong enough he lifted his head to see the livid Sally standing over him.
"YOU LOOKED UP MY DRESS WHILE I WAS SLEEPING?!" She screeched.
"NO!" He yelled back, getting up off the ground to face her. "You…You really don't remember me do you?"
She tilted her head in confusion, staring hard at him to come up with any possible clues, but to no avail. It was so strange, because he couldn't have possibly known any of that if she had just met him.
"No…I don't."
"Not even this?" He asked, pulling the sleeve of his leather jacket up to reveal an obviously home-done tattoo of the letter 'K' on his wrist.
"Should I?" She asked confused.
He was getting so frustrated. She didn't remember a thing, and it honestly had him feeling a little disheartened, but he just shook it off. The chipmunk girl noticed his sorrowful demeanor and felt bad. She wished she could remember him, just so things would make a little more sense. Right now he just seemed like some obsessive psycho.
"C'mon." He sighed, waving her in his direction. "We've gotta catch the next bus back to school."
"I can't go back!" She yelped, shaking her head frantically. He looked back at her. She had her hands over her face again. "Not without my glasses."
"Why the hell not?"
"I don't want anyone to see my scars…"
"You let me see."
She picked her head up to look at him. He just smiled back in her direction, making her blush immensely. The hedgehog just chuckled at her before sliding down his shades.
"If you want new glasses, I got you."
Cream arrived at her locker extra early this time around. She hadn't seen Ray since the party, and had the snaking suspicion that he was avoiding her. She sighed heavily, leaning against their lockers as she waited for him to stroll around the corner with a smiling face.
She felt so guilt-ridden about up and leaving him at the party, right after tearing his little heart to pieces. She didn't mean to be so cruel, but she couldn't handle the awkwardness of sitting there with him and trying to explain to him why they could never be.
Being mute meant that she would not hear him coming down the hall, so she kept darting her eyes back and forth until she spotted him rounding the corner. She sat up with hopeful eyes, and an apology mentally sitting on her brain. When his gaze finally met hers his smile dropped, in replacement of a sad frown.
He turned to round the corner and scurry off, but she had called out to him. "RAY!"
He froze, not sure of what to do. She sounded so desperate, and so sad. It made him feel weak. He turned around just as she had come up to him. He took the dry-erase board from his backpack and started writing to her.
What is it?
"I wanted to apologize, for running off on you at the Halloween party. I also wanted to apologize for breaking your heart…" Her voice trailed off into sorrowful mumbles, "I'm sorry I can't return your feelings Ray, but I don't want anything to change between us."
You didn't break me. I was already broken.
"Please don't say such things." She cried, cupping his face in her hands. "I want you to be happy."
She was so sincere and hopeful. He always felt so positive in her presence, even now. After she had broken his heart, and crushed his dreams. He still wanted so desperately to be cared for by her.
Just as he went to write something new on his board, a figure had strolled up behind them, poking Cream's shoulder. They both turned around to see Tails. For once he was all by himself.
"Tails?" Cream questioned.
"Hi Cream, can we talk?" He asked.
She looked back at Ray, who wore his best poker face. He didn't want to make a scene, but he felt so frustrated as the rabbit girl walked off with the fox, leaving him all alone. Tails pulled Cream to the side, rubbing his arm as he stood in front of her.
"What is it?" The rabbit asked.
"I just wanted to say thank you, for looking after Cosmo in the infirmary."
"There's no need. It's just part of my character Tails."
"I know." He smiled sheepishly, "If only more people were like you…" The fox's mind began to drift back toward the red vixen.
Ray just stood there off to the side, burning holes into the two of them with his eyes as he watched how they blushed and laughed. It made him sick. In a fit he stormed off, slamming his little board to the ground. Tails and Cream jumped up at the sound before looking up and realizing he was gone.
Cream rushed over, picking up the board as she looked around to see where he ran off to. There was no sign of him. She sighed, looking down at his last message on the board.
Enjoy your high school romance.
It was late afternoon. Sonia, Julie-Su, and Rouge sat at their respective beds, all fixing their hair and makeup. This was the first time Sonia had left Elias' side in the last twenty-four hours. She had come back to change, but planned to drop by his dorm room right after to check up on him.
Lara-Su had been sent back to her grandfather's early this morning. Now her mother was finally at ease, taking a bit of time to doll herself up. Her fiancé loved when she was decked out. She personally couldn't stand makeup, and was terrible at it, but wanted to be a good girlfriend and please her boyfriend.
Coming back to the dorm to do makeup and hair touch-ups is part of Rouge's daily routine. Her mother always told her that a girl must always look her best. She took that quote to heart.
"OUCH!" Julie-Su cursed as she pulled the eyeliner pencil away from her face.
"You're holding that wrong stupid." Rouge scolded.
"There's a right way to hold a pencil?"
"If you want your eyeball intact, yes."
"How the hell?" The echidna growled, twirling the pencil in her hand. "Makeup is so frustrating."
"It's easy with practice, which you clearly haven't had. Just look at that concealer job! So tacky."
"Fuck off."
"How about I just help." The bat sighed, putting her eyelash curler down and getting off her bed.
The bat took a seat in front of Julie-Su. She picked up a cotton ball and patted the concealer away. The echidna had used way too much, caking up her face. Julie-Su's cheeks were flushed, embarrassed at needing help with such a simple task. As she patted the concealer away, something caught Rouge's eye.
Underneath the heavy layer of makeup, the bat noticed the echidna's skin was a dark purple color. She tilted her head in confusion before looking up to Julie-Su. Before she could start questioning, the door to their room flung open. All three girls turned their heads to see Knuckles barging in.
"GET OUT!" He commanded, glaring at his girlfriend, and ex-girlfriend.
"Whatever, I'm not dealing with this." Sonia rolled her eyes, "I've gotta go check on Elias." She then shoved Knuckles out of her way to leave.
"You too." The red echidna turned back to Rouge.
"What's your problem?" The bat huffed, getting up from Julie-Su's bed.
"Leave Rouge." He commanded once more.
"This is my room. And I don't appreciate the fucking tone." She growled, narrowing her eyes at him.
He was desperate, enough to grab her forearm and manually throw her out of the room before slamming the door shut and locking it. She pounded on the door, shouting and cursing. He made sure he was gentle enough not to hurt her, but he knew he was gonna get an earful later.
"What are you doing?" Julie-Su jumped up.
"What am I doing?" He repeated dramatically before running over to her, wiping her makeup away with the back of his sleeve to reveal her healing black eye. The sight of it almost tore his heart. He cupped her face as tears of anger brimmed his violet eyes. "What the hell is he doing?!"
She shook her head frantically, refusing to give him a direct answer. "He's a good father."
"WHAT IS HE DOING TO YOU?"
"He loves me."
"Julie-Su…"
"We have a child together…"
"TELL ME!"
"IT WAS AN ACCIDENT!" She cried.
"THAT'S BULLSHIT!" Knuckles shouted, "HE HIT YOU."
"WHAT THE FUCK DO YOU CARE?"
"What the fuck do I care? You're my fucking best friend!"
"I used to be." She hissed, shoving him away from her. "Now leave. Your girlfriend is waiting for you, and my fiancé is one his way."
"FUCK THEM!" The red echidna shouted in anger, "Right now, right here, it's our world. Just us two." He added, grabbing hold of both her forearms.
"He doesn't like me around other guys."
"Well he can suck my dick, because I'll always be the number one man in your life, and he better recognize."
"What about her?" Julie-Su retorted, nodding toward the door where Rouge continued to yell. "Who's your number one really?"
"You already know." He replied, loosening his grip on her. "That's why I came. Talk to me Julie…like we used to."
She bit her lip, opting to stare at the floor as she debated on what to say next. His intense stare was full of concern and worry for her. She didn't expect him to find out, or to call her out on it. She looked back up to him, putting on her best smile.
"I'm getting married in three weeks. I have a loving husband who just gets a little upset. We have a beautiful baby girl, and I'm perfectly happy."
Before he could pry any further, the door to the room was literally blown off the hinges with a powerful kick. They both turned to see Thrash rushing over to them, quickly grabbing Julie-Su by the arm.
"The hell is going on here?" He questioned suspiciously.
Knuckles had a few choice words for the devil, but one look from Julie-Su shut him up. "Just having a friendly chat."
"Yeah, well we've got places to be." Thrash grumbled, practically dragging Julie-Su out of the room. She looked back at Knuckles with a hopeless expression, fueling the burning rage within him. Once they were out of the room, he was met by Rouge's scowling face as she stood by the broken door.
Scourge and Sally wandered the streets of Soleanna until they finally found the shopping center. He dug around in the pocket of his jeans before pulling out four wallets. Sally rose an eyebrow from behind the red-framed sunglasses he allowed her to wear.
"Are those yours?" She asked, noticing a purple one with an LGBT charm on it.
"Nope." He laughed, pulling out a gold credit card from a pink one. "I pick-pocketed a few people at the party, and one just so happens to be a very rich and very easy dumb bitch."
"You can't use other people's money! That's wrong."
"Relax." He rolled his eyes as they continued to walk toward the stores, "This girl in particular actually owes me."
"Owes you for what?"
"I tutored her for a while." He replied, recalling his many 'lessons' with the pink hedgehog. "She was awful at the start, but thanks to me she's a pro now."
"Really?" Sally looked over at him curiously, "What did you tutor her in?"
"Anatomy." Scourge chuckled, "Maybe I could give you a few lessons some time."
"I don't need tutoring. If anything I should tutor you on a few thing, starting with manners."
"I wouldn't mind a few lessons from you." The hedgehog grinned. She was completely oblivious to what he meant.
They finally reached a fancy glasses store, but before she could push the door open and sound the little charm Scourge pulled her back.
"What?" She whined, desperate to get her hands on some new glasses.
"They wouldn't sell you anything wearing a dress made of rags!" He scolded her, gesturing to her Halloween attire. "You'll need some new threads."
"Fine." She pouted, marching over to a clothing store across the street.
He sat in the dressing room area as he waited for her to finish trying on outfits. She tossed every single one he suggested to the side, finding them way to revealing and uncomfortable. She finally came out dressed in a simple over-sized dress shirt, knee-high jean shorts, and white flip-flops. He rolled his eyes at her plain attire.
They then walked back over to the glasses store, where the chipmunk picked out the exact same gigantic bifocals she had previously. She squealed in relief and excitement as she put them on while they exited the building. She was once again comfortable with her face.
Without warning she jumped into Scourge's arms for a hug. He took in her lavender sent once more as he wrapped his arms around her waist.
"Thank you." She whispered, making his heart flutter. The chipmunk then pulled away with a clear blush on her face. He just smiled at her.
"C'mon, we're gonna miss this next—" Before he could finish his sentence, his voice was cut off by a guitar. They both looked over to see an old human man sitting on the sidewalk with a guitar case open. He looked quite sickly, but not as bad as the little pup beside him.
On instinct, Sally immediately rushed over to them, drawn in by the beautiful music. Scourge just rolled his eyes before following her. The old man ceased his playing to greet them.
"That's beautiful." She applauded him.
"Thank you kindly Ma'am." He smiled.
"Isn't it a little too cold for you and that kid to be out here like this Old Timer?" Scourge pointed out, staring at the shivering purple puppy.
"Of course, but we've gotta earn a living somehow." The old man laughed weakly, "I used to be a scientist, but I was barred for malpractice. Everyone calls me Pickle, and this here is my son, Chip."
"You poor things." Sally sighed, "I wish I had something to give you…"
"Maybe you could lend us a hand. That is if you know how to sing. We just need to draw some attention from these wealthy folk walking by. Maybe they've got something to spare."
"Sing?" Sally gasped, "Well…I.." The chipmunk stammered nervously, her crippling shyness preventing her from wanting to agree. There were so many people around, and drawing attention to herself terrified her, but she wanted to help so badly.
Scourge looked around, noting most of the people in the shopping center were female. He then looked back to the distraught Sally, and the desperate old man. He sighed in irritation.
He hated playing hero, but for her…he'd do anything.
"Gimmie the guitar." He commanded the old man, who gave him a perplexed look. "Just do it."
"What are you doing?" The chipmunk asked as the hedgehog took the guitar.
He positioned his hands as he tuned her out, trying his best to recall the cords needed. He started to strum the guitar lightly, before picking up a steady beat, a familiar one most girls in the center turned their heads at.
Sally's eyes widened as he got down on one knee and serenaded her. His voice was raspy and husk, yet so beautiful. It was an interesting choice of song, coming from a 'bad boy', and it certainly gathered a crowd of swooning females.
We were both young
When I first saw you I closed my eyes
And a flashback starts I'm standing there
A balcony in summer air
See the lights, see the party, the ball gowns
See you make your way
Through the crowd and say "Hello"
Little did you know
That I was Romeo I was throwing pebbles
And your daddy said "Stay away from Juliet"
You were crying on the staircase
Begging me please don't go, and you said
Romeo take me, somewhere we can be alone
I'll be waiting, all that's left to do is run
I'll be the prince and you'll be the princess
It's a love story, Baby just say "Yes"
He had changed the lyrics up to suit his gender, but the fact that he was an attractive male with an attractive voice singing the song of a famous country star had the crowd cooing. The guitar case by the old man was almost full to the brim. Sally smiled at the happy man and his son who hugged before turning her attention back to Scourge.
'How could he possibly be the bad guy?' She thought to herself as she smiled adoringly at him.
He soon wrapped up the song, and dispersed the crowd. Of course a few girls slipped him some phone numbers, which he gladly took before heading back over to Sally and the old homeless man.
"Thank you both so much." He cheered, "Looks like we'll be able to afford a room for a few weeks."
"Don't mention it." Scourge waved in dismissal before heading off toward the bus stop. "We've gotta catch this bus. It's the last one."
"Your welcome. Bless you both." Sally bowed respectfully before chasing after Scourge.
Pickle and Chip smiled as they waved after their two heroes. They then turned around to leave, but were called back.
"Hey Old Timer!" Scourge shouted. They turned back as the green hedgehog tossed something to them. It was Amy's gold credit card. "Whatever you do…stand by your damn kid."
The old man looked like he was ready to burst out in tears of gratitude. Scourge didn't want to see all that, so he turned around and continued his walk. The auburn-haired girl smiled at his action.
"Taylor Swift? Really?" She chuckled.
"What? You think cause I'm bad I don't get my Swift on?"
Mina: Hey you. Mach is still out of the country, and we've got a few gigs lined up. It would mean the world to me if you helped us out again.
Manic: I'm not really into music like that, to be doing it around the clock.
Mina: But you're into me aren't you?
Manic: Well…yeah. Enough to do you around the clock Lol. But seriously, I don't want to get mixed up in the music biz.
Mina: Pretty please? We'll get to spend a lot more time together that way.
Manic: You want to spend time together?
Mina: Of course! I don't just sleep with anyone in the back of a party bus ya'know.
Manic: I guess I could find the time…
Mina: Good! Can't wait to see that smile. Bye!
The green hedgehog just fell back into his bed, a big smile spreading across his face. Mina had finally texted him after their little 'intermission' at the Halloween party. He almost broke and texted her first, but Sonic always says the girl should be the one to message you first, otherwise you look desperate.
She wanted him around her, to spend time with her. No girl's ever really taken much of an interest in him before, but he was loving the attention.
Mina's cute, funny, and chill. Pretty much everything he'd want in a girl. They had skipped the whole dating phase and jumped right to sex, but he found himself wanting to backtrack.
In the bed across from his sat Shadow, sitting upside-down with his legs along the wall as he texted away on his phone.
Sonia: Knuckles just like, freaked out on me and Rouge. It was so bizarre.
Shadow: What happened?
Sonia: I have no clue honestly. He just barged in and shoved us out to talk to Julie-Su.
Shadow: Did he hurt you?
Sonia: No, I was on my way out anyway. I just found it so strange. You should probably check up on Rouge though. When I was walking off I could hear her screaming down the hall.
Shadow: Those two are always in some sort of squabble. I've learned to not concern myself much with it anymore.
Sonia: He was always so problematic. They might actually make the perfect pair.
Shadow: So…we should talk. About what happened the other night…
Sonia: Like now? I can't. I've gotta go check up on Elias. His sister is still missing.
The dark hedgehog sighed heavily before tossing his phone to the other corner of the bed. He couldn't get the magenta girl off his mind. After finding out about her bulimia, he couldn't stop worrying about her. He had kept his word and for the past two mornings has texted her a sweet message. They texted back and forth quite frequently throughout the day, but every time he tried to bring up the kiss she immediately shut down.
She was beating around the bush and he couldn't stand it. He didn't understand why, but he wanted to talk about it.
The two hedgehogs sighed heavily as they thought of their respective potential romances.
"Knock, knock." Rosy bellowed as she opened Mephiles' room door without warning.
The gray striped-hedgehog was laying on his bed, arms propping up his head as he scanned his eyes over her. Most people cowered under his stare, but she just twirled and struck suggestive poses to mock him. He smirked in satisfactory.
"Came to see if Scourge was here?" He questioned.
"No, I totally came to talk about floral patterns for my room." She rolled her eyes, "Of course I came to see if he was here. He's the only one who knows where the booze are."
"Or perhaps you're worried about him?" Mephiles suggested.
"Nah. I'm more worried about my blood alcohol content being below the legal limit on a fucking Monday."
She strolled over to the green hedgehog's empty bed and plopped down on it. She swung her legs around in the air as she groaned in annoyance. The dark hedgehog tilted his head over to her, a grin on his face. Rosy was another fun puzzle. She wasn't as difficult as Scourge, but she was difficult nonetheless.
"Tell me something Rosy, why do you hang around him the way you do? It's as clear as day that you can't stand him. I'd even go as far as saying you hold great animosity toward him."
"Nothing better to do. Those two are the only other people from Moebius, and if I want to hang with Fi he's always around."
"I've also noticed the distaste on your face whenever he and Fiona get a little more intimate." Mephiles rose an eyebrow, "You've known him a lot longer than she has correct? Perhaps there was once something between you two—"
The pink hedgehog unwrapped the bicycle chain from her arm and whipped it at him, striking his cheek. She drew blood, but he was not phased. In fact, he was quite pleased by her outburst. She looked infuriated at his insinuations, but said nothing. She rewrapped her bicycle chain and stormed out without another word.
Matilda laid in her hospital bed. She had just gotten through another grueling day in occupational therapy. Her legs hurt, and her pride had been scorned. Not only did she feel helpless and pathetic, but without Mighty or Ray visiting she felt so lonesome.
The nurses were terrible company, most of them barely talked, or not at all. The armadillo girl felt like she was trapped behind these four white walls, and that her life would be like this forever now.
Tears began to trickle down her face as she thought about her brothers, how dearly she missed them. The last time she saw Mighty he was being torn away from her.
"Now, now. None of that." A voice called out.
Matilda lifted her head to see an older rabbit standing in the doorway. He wore a long brown trench coat, and set his brown cowboy hat on one of the nearby tables before walking over to her. Her eyes widened in shock as she recognized him, and a big smile formed on her face.
"Uncle Beauregard!" She exclaimed joyfully.
"Hello Tilly." The rabbit smiled, taking a seat beside her. He pulled a tissue from the box resting on her bedside table and dabbed her cheeks lightly, wiping away her tears. "Sorry I couldn't come sooner Darlin'. I had to take care of a few things before I came to get ya'."
"Get me?"
"That's right." He nodded in confirmation, "After your brother came to get you, me and Aunt Lulumae tried to let you go, but neither of us had the heart to say goodbye. You came into our lives when you were just a little girl. We were only supposed to be your foster parents, but somewhere along the line you stole our hearts. We would have adopted you sooner, but we know how much your brother meant to you."
"Mighty…"
"Child Services contacted me, told me I had another shot. They said they wanted to remove you from his custody, and couldn't find a home for you. I knew I had to come."
"You might have wanted me way back then, but I'm…I'm broken now."
The rabbit just put a comforting hand on her cheek, forcing her to look up at him. Uncle Beauregard and Aunt Lulumae, the only foster family to ever truly care for her.
"We can fix you Matilda." He told her, "Just like we fixed Bunnie…"
"Thanks for stopping by again." Elias spoke as he gave his best friend a long goodbye hug, "I just can't handle all this. I'm under so much stress."
"I know Eli, but you've gotta keep it together." The magenta hedgehog replied as they held their embrace in the doorway of his room. "It'll be alright."
"What the hell would I do without you?"
"I could ask the same thing…" She smiled up at him, pecking his cheek. "I've got to go check on Sonic now, I'll catch you later."
"Sonic? What's wrong with him?"
"I don't know. Tails is worried about him."
"Well, text me when you can Princess." He smiled, so grateful for her help through these trying times.
She waved goodbye before vanishing down the hall. He sighed before shutting the door behind him. He looked up to the ceiling with a frown. Sally was weighing heavily on his mind. If something did happen to her, he wouldn't forgive himself, because he never would get to tell her she's going to be an aunt.
He was rudely pushed out of his thoughts as his door was swung open, swatting him like a fly. He looked back to see his pregnant girlfriend, whose still such a stranger to him. She looked very angry. The prince had been reading up on pregnancy, and some of the effects it had on the mother.
"Megan, are you feeling alright?" He asked with concern, "Is the baby okay?"
"I saw you with that girl." She grumbled, "You've barely called me."
"Sonia? She's just making sure I'm okay. My sister still hasn't been found…" He could see the envious look in her green eyes. He read somewhere that pregnancy causes emotions to run amuck. "She's a good friend, nothing more—"
"Cut the shit!" She snapped, "Everyone knows you like her! Do you wanna sleep with her? Get her pregnant too? Maybe our kids could play together while you pay child support."
"Megan please." He pleaded, putting both his hands at her sides. "Don't stress yourself out like this. It's not good for the baby. You don't need to concern yourself about such things, trust me."
"Trust you? I barely know you and I'm about to have a kid with you…"
"What do you want me to do?" He asked, "How can I show you I'm serious about this?"
"Don't ever talk to her again!"
"But, Sonia's my best friend." He replied sharply, "You can't stop me from seeing her."
"Maybe not, but I can stop you from seeing this child." The squirrel girl replied coldly, turning to walk away.
"You can't do that to me!"
"Watch me."
She was giving him an ultimatum, a very cruel and terrible one. The prince found himself stuck between a rock and a hard place. He bit at his lip hard as he watched her walk away with his child inside her. He loved Sonia more than words could say, it was hard to break away from that, but this baby was everything to him.
"Alright." He caved, pulling her back. "I won't talk to her."
"Good." Megan smiled before pecking his cheek. "I'm sorry about your sister Elias. I wish I could stay and console you, but I've got a meeting with Child Services."
"WHAT?"
"Don't worry. No one knows I'm pregnant yet. They're coming to prep me for trial."
"Trial? What trial?"
"My father is finally going to reclaim my little brother." She smiled warmly, "I haven't seen Ray in such a long time."
Alicia decided to let Rosemary take over touring the new students around. She was just too distraught about Sally to perform her usual tasks. She sat in her office, sighing heavily to herself as she watched the clock. Forty-six hours had passed since Sally's disappearance. Her heart sank deeper and deeper with every hour. The worst part was not being able to do anything about it.
Suddenly, a knock on the door had her shoot up in her chair. In came her daughter, along with the other missing student.
"Sally!" She gasped as she ran over to the younger chipmunk, pulling her into a hug.
"Mother." Her daughter replied, welcoming the embrace.
"Mother huh?" Scourge grinned, looking back and forth at both of them. "I'd buy it."
"I need to call your brother and sister. They've been worried sick about you!" Alicia scolded the auburn-haired girl as she texted her other children. "Where have you two been? I want an explanation."
"Forgive me Mother." Sally apologized.
She then went on to tell her mother that they had gotten lost at Station Square. The last thing she needed was her mother worrying about her getting harassed. Scourge said his goodbyes before heading back over to his dorm, knowing full well that he'd get an earful from Fiona and Rosy.
Elias and Nicole made their way to their mother's office as soon as they got her message. They both cheered at the sight of their sister before falling into a blissful group hug. They weren't complete, but they were content for now.
"I thought something terrible happened to you." Nicole sobbed.
"I'm perfectly fine Nicole."
"You had us scared out of our minds." Elias added.
"I'm sorry I made you all so worried." Sally apologized again.
They all pulled away from their hug to exchange relieved smiles. Elias was so thankful she had returned in one piece. The thought of her never returning frightened him. As he looked around at each of their smiling faces he felt almost compelled to tell them of Megan.
"Now that you're all here…I have something to tell you."
"What is it Elias?" His mother questioned.
"Mother…I" He looked at all their faces once more, nervousness growing. "I'm going to be a father."
"WHAT!" They all screamed.
"Sonic is going to rip your head off." Sally exclaimed.
"I didn't get Sonia pregnant." The prince sighed.
'Chaos, why's that always everyone's first assumption?'
Shadow, Manic, Tails, and Sonic once again littered the lounge of the boy's dormitory. This time they were all scattered on the sectional couches. Sonic seemed to be the only one not engrossed in texting, he was still worried about Sally, and where Scourge had taken her. Tails was texting Blaze about possibly joining the debate team together, Manic texted Mina about band stuff, and Shadow was trying to convince Sonia into meeting up with him at some point to talk.
The only sounds coming from any of them were the tapping of their cellphone screens, and the occasional crunch of the candy bar Shadow had been eating.
The blue hedgehog hadn't eaten in the past two days. He shook his leg violently, completely anxiety ridden. The sounds around him irritated him, especially Shadow's chewing.
"Do you really have to eat now?" He growled at the ebony hedgehog sitting across from him.
"Well, I am hungry so…yeah?" Shadow retorted aggressively, "Problem?"
"Yeah, you chew like a fucking cow!"
"Your mother."
"Yo, yo, everyone chill alright?" Manic piped up, trying to defuse the situation. "And she's my mom too asshole."
Shadow just grumbled before relaxing in his seat, eyeing Sonic from where he sat. They've always had bad blood and disputes, but Sonic wasn't one to be so irritable over simple things. The dark hedgehog suspected something to be wrong, but said nothing. He just went back to eating his candy bar, extra loudly this time.
"Chaos, it's like you purposely look for trouble." Manic narrowed his eyes at the black hedgehog.
"Don't you?"
"Not on a Monday." The green hedgehog shook his head, "I'm hungry as fuck. Can I have some of that?"
Shadow just shrugged, passing his candy bar to Manic who speedily chomped down on it. Sonic just huffed in annoyance. He couldn't stand Shadow's glare.
"You want a kiss or somethin'?" The blue hedgehog spat.
"Don't you wish, fag." Shadow snarled.
"Sonic…is everything okay?" Tails asked worriedly, putting his phone down. "You seem a bit…upset."
"I'm fine Tails. How many times do I gotta keep telling you that before you get it?" Sonic redirected his anger at the fox, making him cringe.
"Leave the kid alone." The black hedgehog growled, defending Tails. "He's just looking out for you."
"Fuck off Shads. I'm seriously not in the mood for your petty bullshit."
"Bullshit?" Shadow questioned as they both stood up. They walked over to each other until they were toe-to-toe. "The only thing bullshit here is your fucking attitude."
"Don't test me Shadow." Sonic warned.
Just before the two could lunge at each other's throats, there was a loud thud that made both of them jump in fright. They both turned their heads to see Manic on the floor.
The green hedgehog's face was a beat red, washing over into purple as he clutched his swollen throat and gasped desperately for air.
"Manic!" Tails cried as he rushed to the hedgehog's side. "He can't breathe!"
"TAILS GO GET HELP!" Sonic shouted as he picked up Manic from the floor and set him on the couch.
"What's wrong with him?" Shadow questioned, obvious concern in his voice.
"I don't know!" Sonic wailed, shaking his brother. "Manic, Manic what happened?"
Tails darted out of the dormitory, screaming for an adult to come help, but none were in sight. He ran so quickly he begun to trip on his own feet and tails as he searched for help. He started crying in panic, blurring his own vision as he screamed at the top of his lungs. He couldn't keep up with his movements, and found himself smacking into someone's chest. When he looked up he was met with the devil's blue eyes.
"Watch where you're going brat." Scourge snarled, shoving him off. "What the hell are you whining about this time?"
"IT'S...IT'S MY BROTHER!" The fox yelled, "HE'S TURNING PURPLE, HE NEEDS HELP! I THINK HE'S…HE'S DYING!"
"Good. Your brother's a fucking prick." The green hedgehog shrugged, "Call me when Sonic's croaked so I can throw a party." He added with an evil chuckle as he walked past the crying fox.
"It's not Sonic!" Tails shouted after him, making the hedgehog stop in his tracks. "It's Manic…"
Scourge quickly turned heel, grabbing Tails by the shirt collar before growling in his face. He had no idea what came over him. "WHERE IS HE?"
Tails explained what was going on at the dormitory before rushing off to find an adult. The green hedgehog ran across campus and back to the dorms as quickly as he could. When he got to the lounge, Shadow and Sonic were standing over the now unconscious Manic freaking out.
Manic had lost consciousness, and his cheeks were almost completely purple. It didn't sound like he was breathing anymore either. Scourge quickly shoved both Sonic and Shadow out of the way, pulling Manic off the couch.
Sonic gasped at the sight of Scourge, mind in a frenzy. He sure as hell had some words for him, but his mind was too focused on Manic right now to argue.
"WHAT DID YOU GIVE HIM?" The blue-eyed hedgehog shouted angrily at Shadow.
"We weren't doing any drugs." The black hedgehog replied as calmly as he could, "He just fell!"
Scourge looked around the room, hoping to find an answer. That's when he saw it. On the floor next to the couch was a half-eaten candy bar. He picked it up, examining the label on the package.
"Did you give him this?"
"Yeah, he took a bite."
"You fucking moron." Scourge growled as he sat Manic upright in his lap.
He then proceeded to hastily roll up the right leg of the unconscious hedgehog's shorts, all the way up to the thigh. Sonic and Shadow didn't know what the hell was going on, but they watched as Scourge lifted up the left leg of his own black jeans to reveal a strange vial that had been concealed at his ankle. He quickly pulled it up, biting the cap off.
It was a gigantic needle, and he plunged it right into Manic's thigh without warning.
Then they waited.
'When I found him again he was sitting on the hood of some random car in the parking lot all by himself. He had a cigarette in one hand, and a beer in the other.
I was so terrified of approaching him. After our first encounter I asked around about him, and everyone only told me horror stories. He once cracked a kid's skull with a prop in drama class for trying to talk to his girlfriend, some said he was into hardcore drugs like heroin and cocaine, and some even said he killed someone before.
I started shaking nervously, although I tried my best to keep it cool. He heard my footsteps, and looked over at me with piercing blue eyes. I almost shit myself.
"You shouldn't be out here this late at night kid." He shrugged, taking another swig from the green bottle. "It's dangerous."
"You're out here." I replied, taking a seat next to him on the hood of the car.
"Well, I am the danger." He chuckled, handing me the cigarette. "You smoke?"
"Yeah, for sure." I lied, taking the cigarette in my fingers like a pencil. I tried my best to act like I knew what I was doing, but I ended up coughing my fucking lungs out.
"Sure." He laughed, taking the cigarette back.
"My name's Manic by the way." I spoke once my coughing had subsided. "I never got to tell you before."
"So what'd you come out here for 'Manic'?" He asked curiously, "Won't your brother get all worried and cry if you're not in your comfy little cradle?"
"Yeah right." I huffed bitterly, "He doesn't care. None of them do. All they care about is Tails."
"So you think hanging around a delinquent like me will finally get their attention?"
"No. I don't care about what they think of me anymore." I snapped, "I just thought you'd—"
"I don't need a sidekick." He cut me off, "I don't babysit."
"I want to be your friend."
"My what?" He laughed.
I was so embarrassed. I hopped off the car, and started the walk back to the dorms. I don't know what compelled me to approach him. Maybe it was because he made me feel better that day in the alley, or because he had the same eyes as me.
"Wait." He called out, making me turn around. "I could use a friend I guess."
I ran back over to him, nodding happily. We sat there in the dark for hours. We talked some, while he taught me how to smoke properly. When he told me about how both his parents split on him, it reminded me of how I felt after my family adopted Tails. Everyone just bailed on me.
"So, you didn't actually kill a guy….right?"
"Nah, I only paralyzed him from the neck down." He shrugged. My face went pale white and he laughed hysterically. "I'm just messin' with you. I've never killed or paralyzed anyone dumbass."
"You've got one crazy reputation around campus, ya'know that?"
After that night we became close-knit. You wouldn't find him without me, and you wouldn't find me without him. Those days I spent with him were the best days of my life. I wanted them to go on forever…
"Here, snagged you these." He grinned, tossing me a long wooden box.
I opened it up to see two high-quality wooden drumsticks. They were amazing! I'd never seen anything like them before. I immediately took them out and chucked the box. He nodded in satisfactory as I beat them on the lunch table.
"Sweet, but I don't play anymore."
"Someday you might." He shrugged.
He was always supportive of my potential solo-music career, but I just wasn't into it anymore. Not without my siblings, and they showed no interest of getting the band back together.
I felt bad he wasted time and effort stealing such high-quality shit for me, even though we both knew I wouldn't be playing drums.
"Here." I said, taking off my medallion before handing it over to him. "Take this."
"That's your necklace." He shook his head.
"You gave me these sick drumsticks, so I want you to have it." I handed him the necklace again, that time he took it. "It's a good luck charm."
"Think it'll get me laid?" He laughed, clipping it around his neck.
"On second thought, Fiona might not like it if I gave you that." I joked.
"Thanks." He grinned.
Scourge...'
"WHAT THE HELL DID YOU GIVE HIM?" Sonic shouted at Scourge angrily.
"Relax, it's just my EpiPen." The green hedgehog replied, putting his hand to Manic's cheek. His body temperature was going back to normal, but he still hadn't woken up. "He's allergic to peanuts you stupid fucks."
"How did you know that?" Shadow questioned curiously.
"How the hell didn't you two morons know that?" The green hedgehogs retorted, "Aren't you supposed to be his brother?" He narrowed his eyes at Sonic.
Before the blue hedgehog could freak out, Manic started gasping and coughing. He had finally woken up. They all breathed a sigh of relief. Scourge pulled Manic out of his lap to face him. Manic lazily opened his eyes to see Scourge standing over him with a concerned expression.
"Manic….Manic." Scourge called out to him.
He groaned in response, shifting uncomfortably under the harsh lighting. "Scourge? Is that you…?"
"Yeah, yeah it's me."
"Oh shit…" The weak hedgehog mumbled, "I died didn't I?"
"No, you're not dead kid."
"But…you're here…talking to me…"
"Get away from him!" Sonic screeched, shoving Scourge away from his brother. They both exchanged angry scowls before the green hedgehog took off.
Manic frowned as he watched Scourge's figure replaced by Sonic's. Shadow ran after Scourge, and caught him outside. He had just walked down the steps when Shadow opened the doors.
"Why are you doing this to him?" He growled at Scourge, "Why are you avoiding him?"
"It's none of your business."
"It is when my best friend is involved. You saved his life…only to continue hurting him. I saw that desperate look in your eyes when you thought he was gonna die. Tell me, what the hell is between you two?"
"You sound like Mephiles." Scourge grumbled in disgust. "Fuck off." He gave the ebony hedgehog the middle finger as he walked to the girl's dorm.
"I'm sorry Principal Acorn couldn't give you the tour herself, or be here to formally welcome you. She had to attend to an emergency in the boy's dormitory. However, she will schedule progress meetings with you all in the future." Rosemary explained to the group of new students.
She had finished touring the new group around campus, and was now preparing them for their first day. Tails ran into the office, begging Principal Acorn for help in the boy's dorm. Rosemary worried for her son, but she had to keep on task for now.
"These are your room keys and schedules." She smiled, handing each of the six students a key and paper. "Make your way to the dormitories and your adviser will escort you to your rooms."
Each of them took the materials, some appearing more excited than others.
"On behalf of Principal Acorn, I welcome you all to Green Hill Academy." The receptionist cheered happily. "Eclipse the Darkling, Gold the Tenrec, Shade the Echidna, Monkey Khan, Tekno the Canary, and Geoffrey St John."
A very Scourge oriented chapter, I know. He finally has a backstory! A heartbreaking one at that. You've also learned of his fixation with Sally, the auburn-haired schoolgirl from his youth, but she has no recollection of him whatsoever. Could her scarred face have something to do with that? Who knows.
Poor Knuckles, his worry for Julie-Su is putting a strain on him and Rouge, and poor little Ray is just getting the bad end of everything.
Rosy and Scourge?! Nah, Mephiles is just reading into things too deeply...but has he ever been wrong?
Oh sweet Elias, no one should ever have to make such decisions. Will Megan's jealousy finally put an end to a possible Elias/Sonia relationship? Perhaps even their friendship?
The Sally/Scourge fluff was real this chapter. I thought it to be quite adorable. The song he sings is based on his feelings towards her, and explains a bit of their history through his perspective, just like when any character sings in this fic. Silver sang about Blaze breaking his heart, and Sally sang about her father disowning her WAY before I even revealed it. Read very carefully when it comes to song, you might learn more than you think.
Scourge was the one who gave Manic the drumsticks! What a call back from Chapter 3, and the medallion Amy saw when Scourge took off his shirt was Manic's.
Also, if you feel like you know a song that might portray how a character feels about their situation or another person, recommend it to me! It might be just what I need. Any genre is okay, as long as the lyrics mean something and aren't just mindless drabble.
Special Message
Who is the ultimate villain in this story that you hate to love? It's a trick question. The answer would be me! The author. I'm aware I'm constantly ruining the lives of your favorite and most beloved characters. The amount of relationship drama is insane, but eventually as the story meets it's end I WILL start to make pairings permanent. With that in mind, I want you to think critically of what characters you'd like to be with each other. Putting your already favorite pairings and OTPs aside, I'd like you to base your decision solely on the story itself. We'll cross that bridge when we come to it though, I'm not done torturing everyone just yet.
Lastly, a special shoutout to 1Darkness552 for getting every single new student correct, although some came incredibly close.
And yes BlazeofVenus, I'm perfectly okay with you drawing any imagery from this story you would like, that goes for anyone! I'd like to see it as well!
Next Time On Green Hill Academy
Amy offers all her friends one night of a great escape
Manic meets an interesting new student...
Yet another challenger approaches for Silver and Blaze
An old ghost from Scourge's past surfaces
Sally is starstruck by a new suitor
Two relationships enter the danger zone, as a new one forms
And so much more!