It was a still night among the Mobian skies.
Knothole in particular was quietly stirring within Nicole's defenses and going about their nightlife. Some were at home with family while others were still working at their places of business. Even within the walls of the Hall of Acorns there were things riling up.
"Ugh we've been here for hours!" Melvin the deer sighed. "I want to go home."
"Please bear with Madam, a decision still has not been met." Nicole quieted.
The council of Knothole had been set here for a few hours trying to decide on whether it would be a good idea to share things with Station Square and Angel Island.
"We already have many treaties and agreements with those of Angel Island! What would be the big deal if we let Station Square in on it too?" Princess Sally hobbled up to stand. She was huge! Noticeably pregnant from a few miles back she went through her daily hardships just to stand here tonight. She sat back down in her seat as George took the floor. He slicked back his oily cardinal feathers and cleared his throat.
"The first of many reasons, princess, is that Station Square will most likely bully the other smaller nations into fear. Worst case scenario would be them threatening us with a nuclear strike. "
Hamlin Chopper was nodding his head the entire time. "I agree without a doubt."
"This is your entire fault." Nicole finally showed some aggression. She had reason though with him being the sole reason for her first and only deactivation.
Hamlin simply smiled. He had managed to turn all but two members against Princess Sally and Sir Charles despite Melvin being on the fence the entire time.
"I just don't want to overload our citizens, being dragged up by Station Square while at the same time being pulled down by Angel Island." Duke explained. "They've been through so much with the changing of titles and their home being partially destroyed…"
"Duke, you are a chairman for the hospital committee, why can't you see the good in this." Sally questioned.
Duke started to speak up.
"Excuse me if I may." Hamlin chimed in with Duke letting him have the floor. "We are simple. We always have been we always will be. If you change that then you will get every single persons hands dirty. Would you like that on your conscience?"
The room went silent.
"What are you talking about?" Melvin questioned. "What you just said confused the heck outta me."
The council solidly agreed. "Let's take a vote then."
The other six followed Sir Charles suggestion and started to write on paper before them. All of the utensils stopped and then there was weary silence. They were all looking at each other when Melvin raised hers first.
"For." she stated. "Only because he annoys me."
Princess Sally and Sir Charles smiled. There was going to be a world conglomerate after all.
"This is good news." Sally smiled. "Now we are dismissed."
"Melvin shouted in praise as she and the others gathered up briefcases and other belongings. They all exited the large book-lined library continued down the hall. Hamlin was the last to leave giving final thoughts to Sally Nicole and Sir Charles.
"Make note of this day!" Hamlin spat. "You will regret everything that has happened today!"
Nicole interfaced with the room and accessed the doors. The huge door swung and shoved Hamlin out of the room.
"Nicole." Sally sighed.
"A mere malfunction." she stated. "I will tend to it at once."
She disappeared in checkers as Sir Charles gets up from the table.
"Any word from the Freedom Fighters?" asked Charles.
"None so far." Sally opened the door. "I hope their okay."
Charles hugged Sally and left the room. "There's nothing to fear, kiddo. You know their safe and I bet your brother, Elias is hanging strong with them."
Sally smiled. "Thanks Sir Charles and get some rest. We've a huge day ahead of tomorrow."
"Oh I know. Goodnight princess." Sir Charles started to proceed down the hallway. Princess Sally gripped the wall as she walked a few paces down to her quarters. She couldn't believe how big she has gotten. She knew without a doubt she was bearing a load and how important it would be to still show a bit of grace even if she was a few days from delivery. She made it her room entryway and proceeded in and shut the door behind her.
It was late into the night now.
Knothole practically died at around two or three in the morning with only a few patrolman scanning the streets. Nicole appeared at the city's northern gates. She was facing the closed doors ready to identify whoever was approaching.
"Anomaly detected." she mumbled. "Readying city defenses numbers 48-72."
The door budged but wasn't opening. Someone was here. Nicole heard a few familiar voices scuffling beyond the doors when a figure leaped over and landed with a bit of finesse.
"False alarm." Nicole thought. She disappeared and reentered right in front of the haphazard intruder.
"Welcome back Sonic the…" Nicole stopped. "Intruder alert."
Scourge balled his fist and swiped right through Nicole.
"Security systems armed." Nicole stated. "Lights!"
Knothole lit up with huge beaming lights. They all pointed on Scourge and nearly blinded him.
"Musta forgot the welcome mat!" Scourge smiled. He triple spun right through the multiple locks and blasted off through city. Nicole was neither shook nor surprised. They had run security drills if either Freedom Fighter went rogue; this one was for Sonic. The trails of Knothole became disheveled and uneven. It looked as if Knothole was placed upon many different sized cubes. By this time other intruders poured into Knothole.
"I must alert the Freedom Fighters." Nicole stated.
Scourge ran off another platform and into a hole. He couldn't get up to speed like he wanted. He ran up the walls and posted hands on his hips. Tale flew in and landed right next to Scourge.
"This place is awesome!" he exclaimed.
"Where's the other losers?" asked Scourge.
"Their Nicole is making things hard on us." Tale explained.
"You and the other Freedom Fighters take out Nicole while me and Lassy get the king!"
"You the man!" Tale smiled. He blasted off in a split second and doubled back with Lassy in his arms. He safely landed her on the ground next to Scourge and they both sighed.
"Why did you choose to work with me?" Lassy asked as she started to run toward the castle.
"I wanted to be around somebody uglier than me so it could make me look good." Scourge smiled.
"I hate you." Lassy stated.
"I hate you more!" Scourge smiled. Scourge picked up the pregnant princess and leapt up and across the many uneven platforms to get right in front of the Hall of Acorns.
Meanwhile on the other side of Knothole…
The fighters against freedom come upon Nicole's technological housing base. Buns Rabbit runs up to and smashes against the barrier. The multicolored barrier shimmered as an effect, while her teammates just about die laughing.
"Step back, Buns, let a man take care of this." Boomer sighed. He started to work the barrier with whatever mechanics he used to get in the first time.
"This is gonna take a while." Boomer said in anger.
"Maybe if you lost a few pounds." Tale suggested.
A huge metallic fist zinged by the group and smashed Boomer right in the face. The big guy was sent far as Antoine landed in the middle of the fighters against freedom and tornado slashed them all.
"There will no breaking and entering this night!" he said. Tale and Patch rose from the ground and started to ambush the hero coyote when they stopped and couldn't move a muscle.
"Now here's round numbah two!" Bunnie Rabbot yelled. Her fist shot out again and smashed both of them in the face. Bunnie sli in right next to her husband and held up her hands ready to fight.
"How dare ya'll interrupt a woman's beauty rest? Ya'll should be ashamed ah ya'll-selves." she smiled.
"Is this is it?" Cream stated while walking up to join her comrades. "I'm already getting sleepy."
"Oh no it's Milk!" Buns yelled. "We need to run."
Patch threw Buns aside and charged right for his counterpart with sword drawn. He was coming in fast but Antoine saw it. Ant lovingly nudged Bunnie behind him and stood to block Patch's assault. He wildly fenced against Antoine with the hero keeping pace.
Boomer sloppily ran toward Cream was turning up her face from all the jiggling going on with the false Rotor. Cream held up both her hands and effectively caught Boomer within her Control. She slammed him down on the ground and drug him to sweep up Patch and plant them against the barrier.
Tale came from nowhere and slammed his powerful tail against Cream's head. He spun to land when Bunnie fired a missile. Tale gasped and then extended his tail and wrapped himself up in it. The missile exploded against it and burned his tail to a crisp. The smoke cleared and all that was left was the shedding of his tail.
"How did he?" Bunnie started. She put up her metal arm to black. She barely saw him come down from the sky but blocked Tale's assault. Tale had landed with a stomp and then back flipped to knock Bunnie from her feet. Tale finally touched the ground when Cream controlled one of his legs and flailed the fox around and around. Cream was whipping her arms to and fro trying to confuse the fox when he smashed into Boomer and then into Patch. The three threats were on the ground groggy from Cream's attacks. Bunnie got up and wrapped some cable around them to officially detain them.
"There's one more behind that li'l ol' bush over there." Bunnie poined.
"I give, I give." Buns stood up with hands high in the air. "Please don't smash me with Kilos."
"Can I go back to bed now?" asked Cream.
Meanwhile within Castle Acorn…
Nicole was everywhere.
Actually there Nicole's all over the place trying to put a halt to the pair of Scourge and Lassy.
"You are trespassing on forbidden grounds! Leave the premises at once!" Nicole kept repeating. Scourge was carrying Lassy through the plush halls of the estate trying to find their goal. The stopped at a fork when the Nicole's appeared and surrounded the two, all repeating the same phrase.
"Shut up!" Scourge yelled. He started swiping at them frantically with no result.
"This way." Lassy yelled. She hopped back into Scourge's arms and they blasted off. They made a few wrong turns and down a lot of dead ends until they say the large door denoting the head of the family stayed here.
"We got you your highness!" Scourge smiled and busted in the room. He looked left and right and only saw Nicole within the room and then a metal pole slamming against the backside of his head. Scourge hit the floor unconscious in the process.
"Gotcha!" Sally exclaimed. She went to observe her work when she saw her mirror self hobble through the door.
"You again." Sally scoffed.
"Well if it isn't the Anti-me!" Lassy smiled. "How've you been?"
"Fine." Sally replied. "To say the absolute least."
"Don't play this game with me." Lassy started. "We're the same you and I. And we both know we like to win."
"Princess Sally, you know this doppelganger?" asked Nicole.
"She's an old annoyance from way back when." Sally explained. "She was a bitch then and she's a bitch now."
"A compliment, finally." Lassy smiled.
"Then she will be taken care of." Nicole stepped in front of Sally.
"No no, it's alright, we both know I can handle myself." Sally sidestepped Nicole's protection. "Okay Lassy you didn't just stop in to say hello. What do you want?"
Lassy smiled. "I've grown bored of simple Moebius. We've conquered it to no end and are just twiddling our thumbs looking for things to take freedom from. That's when your little idiots came in and surprised us all. All I needed was foot in the door and I'd own the whole place."
"Mobius isn't for sale." Sally remarked.
"Then we steal it." Lassy stated.
"Freedom Fighters report: They have captured and detained intruders and have one in interrogation as we speak." Nicole explained.
"Damn that Buns." Lassy yelled. She threw a small fit and nearly ripped out her hair. "I'm not leaving this place! Scourge wake up!"
She kicked the greenish hedgehog in the side until he started to stir. He took one final kick and then hopped to his feet. He raised his arm up as if to strike Lassy when his arm froze.
"Woman, are you crazy!" Scourge yelled at the top of his lungs. He was trying to free his arm from the invisible grace when he saw the young bunny outside.
"Hey Sal, who are these people?" Cream asked.
"Our new prisoners." Sally stated. Cream caught Scourge in a full body control as well as Lassy.
"Good work Nicole." Sally sighed. Sally's eyes grew shocked and at the same time Lassy broke free from control. The princesses grabbed their stomachs in joy and surprise. It was time for their little bundles of joy to come out. Lassy hit the ground breathing heavily with Sally facing her.
"You can't hold me forever." Scourge stated. He started to shake loosening up Cream's control over him. "If I can break from Milk's mind control then I can break from yours!" Scourge vibrated himself and regained control of his body. Cream hit the floor as recoil while Scourge landed on his feet. He looked at Lassy writhing in labor pains and then to Nicole just in front of him.
He didn't even give it a second thought.
"See ya!" Scourge yelled. He blasted from the room leaving behind only wind and dust.
"That bastard!" Lassy gritted her teeth.
"We need to get them to the emergency room." Nicole commanded.
Sorry for the huge delay but writers block happens to everyone. I plan on closing out this arc by the end of may so stay glued to your computer screens and/or iphones and be on the lookout for the next upcoming issue. Also I plan on making the art before this arc closes which you can still find on /Givannivan so check it out. All in all thanks for being patient with me and sticking through it cause your gonna love how this baby ends. See ya next time on Sonic 51.