Sonic jammed on the brakes, skidding to a halt before the remains of the People's Council Dome.

The glass roof was gone.

Sonic set Sally down. She stumbled to her feet, lunging toward the doors.

"Wait—no—Sal!" Sonic dashed between her and that room, hands outstretched. "Stay right here—I'll tell you if she's in there."

Sally froze. She nodded once.

Sonic turned, fisting his hands. He stepped into the dome, explosions blaring in the distance.

He stopped, stiffening

The hedgehog stood alone. His gaze roved across the room and fixed on the fragmented remains of the Mobians strewn across the floor.

The thrones where the council ring had sat lay on their sides, burned and smashed. Glass from the dome roof covered the floor, half burying the bodies below.

Sonic sucked up a deep breath and began to march.

He recognized a few faces. Council members. At least nine of them. That was all. That meant over two thirds of them were missing.

Sonic glared across the room and his gaze locked on the red-lined fringe of a gown, half-buried underneath the stones and glass. He strode over the blackened, cracked floor, past a small ring of fallen guards, and yanked the rubble off of what was left of her body. Burns from blast shots covered her front and a slew of bullet holes slashed from her neck to her side.

In her fist, she clenched a scorched blue ore sword, glowing faintly in the dust.

Sonic stared.

He struck his hand over his face.

For a moment, Sonic crouched there, unable to move. He fisted and re-fisted his hands, shaking his head. He let out a deep, shaky breath, his shoulders heaving.

Sonic pushed up to his feet, lowering his hand. He turned and ran back across the floor, keeping his head down.

"Sonic?" Sally cried.

Sonic's head came up and he looked at her.

Sally stood in the shattered doorway, feet apart, panting and clenching and unclenching her hands. Tears streamed down her cheeks.

"She's there, Sally-" Sonic ran to her, the words spilling out. "I'm so sorry, Sal—I'm so sorry, Sal—"

She covered her mouth with her hands, stumbling into him.

Sonic caught her wrist. "Wait-you don't have to see it-She doesn't look like herself, its bad—"

Sally pushed at him, shaking with suppressed sobs. "Let go," she hissed, gripping his arms. Her voice sounded hoarse. "I am the princess of the royal house, protector of Mobia—Princesses cannot be afraid…," she gulped, "Cannot be afraid to see anything-she is my mother-" She bowed her head, choking on the words.

Sonic turned away. He ran his hands over his face and through his head spikes.

Sally breathed hard. She lifted her face, her eyes hollow. "Take me to her."

Sonic bowed his head and turned.

He had to obey her. Tails could do more for the city in the cruiser than he could on foot right now, and—and it was just the least he could do.

He took her arm and guided her over the blackened stone and glass. Sally strode next to him, stiff as a board beneath his touch, her hands clenched like a rocks. She kept her head raised.

Sonic stopped a few feet before her mother's body. "Here."

But Sally kept her head raised, her hair falling over her face out of its braid. She did not move.

Sonic waited. Another missile screamed and cracked somewhere in the distance. He ground the heel of his shoe into the floor.

Sally lowered her gaze, brushing her hair out of her eyes.

She stared.

She inched her way down to the ground, down to her knees, over the queen.

"Mama," she whispered, her voice breaking. "Mama-"

Sally shattered and Sonic watched the wave of grief lurch through her body.

She pitched forward, sobbing.

Sonic turned around fast, crossing his arms hard across his chest. He watched the sky.

Sally ground her hands into the ash and glass on the ground beneath her, bent double. "It's not your fault," her voice constricted. "It's not your fault… it's not your fault…Y-you tried…" She covered her face, a strangled squeak breaking free.

Air cruisers shot over the dome above them—

Sonic started, dropping to all fours.

Sally didn't hear.

Sonic turned back around to face Sally. He crept towards her, as if each step he took might shatter the ground beneath him. He extended his hands, taking her by the shoulders from behind.

The minute he touched her, she whirled around, clasping onto him as if she would never let go, her clawed hands digging into his back. "Sonic—," she gasped out, "Sonic—"

Sonic screwed his eyes shut.

She didn't know what to say, but he got that.

"Oh man, Sal," He blurted. He flung his arms around her and held on tight, rocking with her. "I'm sorry, Sal, I'm so sorry," he said, pressing his face against her hair. "She's not there, Sal. She's not hurting or scared or sad or anything. She-she wouldn'ta wanted to live to see all this anyway—"

Sally sobbed on his shoulder, heaving.

Two more air cruisers shot overhead.

Sonic tensed and his eyes widened.

"Sonic, what am I going to do?" Sally whispered.

"-Sally, we've gotta get out of here, okay?" Sonic forced out. "There's a lot of people out there—and we need to go."

A missile began to scream nearby.

She pulled back, stumbling away from him. "He must die—he must be completely, utterly, entirely destroyed."

"Sal!" Sonic barked.

A missile shot past the dome into the wall of the palace. The structure exploded, dust and debris shooting over them. Stone tumbled down the cliff side.

Sally showed no notice. She curled her fist around her mother's hand and the hilt of the sword. She twisted it free, and snatched the hilt to her chest. "She died fighting, Sonic, I'm so proud of her—she tried-"

Sonic snatched onto Sally arms, hoisting her up. "I think they sense us—we've got to get out of here-!" He glanced up again, scouring the skies.

Sally spun to him her eyes wide, hysterical. She clutched his shoulders. "-Sonic, no—I can't just leave her—we have to take her with us—she needs to be buried with honor—she's a queen!"

"Sally-" Sonic began backing up, his spikes unsheathing and gaze sharpening.

A hum began to fill the air.

"She's going to have her own tomb soon enough—they all are," Sonic said, yanking Sally off her feet.

Sally did not have a chance to fight. He whipped his speed on and raced out of the dome, through the doors, past a toppling hallway.

Missiles exploded behind them, and the palace groaned.

Well, here's the next batch! Thanks for reading! Things are finally starting to happen...

~April/Connie