The Hall of the Mountain King murmured on the radio through the Underground.
Sally lay on the couch, her face lifted to the cave roof channels and formations above her. She ran her hands through her auburn hair mindlessly, her almond-shaped eyes closed. Her chest rose and fell with shallow breaths.
Sally had never been good at sleeping, but now she didn't think she'd ever be able to fully sleep again.
"Miss Sally," Crème's voice whispered. "Do you want me to bring a blanket?"
Crème strode over to the couch, her brown eyes wide. She pursed her lips.
Sally did not reply. She stopped fingering her hair.
"When…when Sonic and Tails come back…" Crème ventured, though her voice wavered. She looked down, clasping her small hands. "If they do, then we can tell them about Mr. Knuckles…."
"He's sure to be dead, Crème," Sally murmured. "A single echidna could not make it out of Robotropolis alive."
Crème pinched her lips together, her eyes beginning to fill with tears again.
"I…I still wish we could do something," she said. "Don't you? You're the princess…?"
Sally's face remained impassive. A small breath escaped from her parted lips.
The princess had to do something. Ever since Sally could remember, she had carried that weight on her slender shoulders. The weight of a kingdom. A now dead kingdom.
Having Sonic had made the weight easier. He always believed in doing things. He seemed to have enough belief and hope for the both of them. It had been good to not have to fight alone.
Sally turned away from Crème, burying her muzzle against the couch, her hair falling over her face.
But she had made him leave and he had left.
"I'm going to try to sleep, Crème," Sally murmured.
Crème crossed her arms. She glared for a moment, then turned and left again with a sigh.
As Crème walked back to the kitchen, she heard the radio crackle from back halls, where Sonic had awoken. She hadn't had the heart to go back and turn it off and something must be interfering with the signal…
A voice crackled over the static. "This is Rabbot, tunin' into the radio channel number 1, hopefully you all can hear me across all Robotropolis..."
Crème spun around.
Sally whipped up from the couch, her auburn hair flying in all directions, her blue eyes wide and flashing.
"Ah'm here to send a message to Acorn, Blue Blur, Yellow Sky, an' Rose bearin' word from an eye witness who claims Robotnik took Knuckles and the relic of Angel Island—get that, boys? The relic of Angel Island—Robotnik has—"
The voice and static disappeared.
The music began to play once again.
Rotor clutched his torso, panting. Bunnie held onto him, trying to help him the best she could with the remains of her robotic arm. They crawled, sweating, gasping.
Rotor saw Bunnie glance over her shoulder. There were no sounds of combots following them now. The crawl space seemed to go on forever, only lit by a thin window of light along the far end of the room.
Bunnie's green eyes burned and she shuddered with adrenaline.
Rotor fisted his hand against her back. "B-Bunnie…" blackened blood poured down Rotor's torso. He screwed up his face against the pain, slipping out of her grasp.
She tried to snatch onto him harder. "No—no Rotor, stop that—"
He eased onto his side, breathing hard and shivering. Holes shown through his stomach and chest and grazed his cheek. Blood pooled on the floor, smearing across Bunnie's metal knees and her live hand.
He clutched her metal arm.
Neither one of them spoke. Bunnie began to cry.
"Ah'm sorry, Rotor, Ah'm sorry, Ah—Ah kept tellin' you it would work-Ah'm sorry-" Bunnie whispered. She was hyperventilating. "You're dyin'—You're dyin' Rotor—"
He fisted his hands harder, tears of pain rolling down his cheeks. "You—you're beautiful."
Bunnie froze. She stared at him, tears glistening in her green eyes.
"The girls b-back at the school—I—I know it's not easy for you. D-don't—don't—d-don't let anyone say you are—ugly," Rotor caught his breath. "Or a freak."
Bunnie eyes widened. She covered her mouth with her bloody hand and metal stump.
She forgot about combots and prisoners and the message they had tried to send. All she saw was Rotor's bleeding face.
