______________________________________________
author's notes: this fic's getting serious. And the first two chapters still make me cringe... hoo, boy! Also, 'Udara' is a kind of Tenctonese warrior. Instead of 'Sonic Underground', we have 'Sonic Udara'.
in the tenctonese culture, living beings are believed to share their life-force with the weak, so giving a tenctonese cut-flowers, which are dying, is not a good idea. the thing to give a sick tenctonese would be a live animal or potted-plants.
and nu-nip is a chemical that acts like cat-nip, relaxing the tenctonese.
______________________________________________
"Sonic! Are you ok?"
Sonic woke up with a start.
"Wha-?"
Then he remembered. The elevator... the baby... Manic!
"Where's Manic? Is he ok?"
His vision cleared, and he saw his wife smile.
"Manic's fine," Sally said, "He's been taken to the hospital"
"Sally..." Sonic began, then he looked down at his swollen belly.
The squirrel just stroked her husband's face, and kissed him.
"I know," she said, smiling, "I know"
Tears formed in Sonic's eyes. How could she take it so easily?
"Don't act like that!"
"Act like what?" Sally cried.
"You know what! I could go super, and if I do, kill lots of people including the baby!"
Sally, seeing this, put her arms around her husband and pulled him into an embrace.
"Oh, Sonic... I'm so sorry..." she said, running her fingers through the soft quills on his back, "It's gonna be ok. I-I'll find some way..."
********
Sonia paced the floor of the palace. What was going on? There were several eenos in that store, Espio being one of them, so why was Manic the only one targeted?
The ever-elusive Oracle probably had the answer, but she knew she couldn't count on him for a straight answer, nor could she count on a certain rabbit.
But Sonia knew one thing. The Sonic Udara would have to be reassembled. She went to her private computer and buzzed her husband, Cyrus, who was fixing the security systems on Floating Island. He was really going to love this, Sonia thought.
"Cyrus, it's Sonia. You'd better come down planet-side. I've got a funny feeling the Sonic Udara's gonna need your help yet again... and yes, I know you're busy, but come down anyway because I'm your wife and head of this household!"
The hedgehog grinned. She tended to get a little weird, but rarely did she ever pull rank. Of course, Cyrus was used to that, and would most likely be there in the morning, with nu-nip just in case Sonia wasn't feeling well, probably hoping it would put her in a better mood.
********
"Hey, big-bro!"
Sonic smiled at his brother's voice. Manic, as usual, wasn't taking the attack seriously. He was probably trying not to worry anyone, but the way he always tempted fate, one couldn't help but worry.
"Manic, are you ok?" Sonic asked, even though it was evident that Manic was feeling fine, aside from a few burns.
"Still hurts a little. Hurt worse yesterday, when they were cleaning the wounds. Didn't have time for anesthetics..."
Sonic cringed. No anesthetics... very bad... He'd been burned like that before, and knew it was no fun. At least his burn wasn't bad enough to require that kind of immediate attention. It was before that accident, and Sonic learned that shots really didn't hurt all that much...
"I heard what happened. Sorry'bout that," Manic said, after a long pause, "I know how you feel about hurting the kid"
Manic felt the bulge where the pod was, and smiled.
"I don't know about you, but I think this little guy-or girl's gonna be fine"
"There's something weird about your attack, though, Manic," Sonic said, "Wasn't Farrel with you?"
Manic nodded.
"Hey, I'm his son, as far as he's concerned. What's wrong with that, besides being rather embarrassing?"
Typical Manic.
"Well, was he attacked? Were any of the other eenos that could've been there attacked? That place was in a bad part of town-"
"Hey, why are you insulting me?" the green hedgehog joked.
"Manic, be serious! A lot of eenos-who are very nice people by the way-hang out there. Were any of them attacked?" Sonic asked again, getting fed up with his brother's childishness.
Manic shook his head.
"Not that I know of. Why?"
"Sonia told me that you were the only one targeted. They just shot you and left. Don't you think that's odd?"
"They're probably just jealous because I look alot better than them! It's a curse, but I can live with it"
Sonic rolled his eyes. Manic was being difficult again, but it was always hard to reason with him. Or maybe that was just a front... he really didn't have a place where he belonged, where he felt at home.
Sighing, the blue hedgehog picked up a cage with a chao in it. It would seem cruel to keep a chao in a cage, but it was a hospital-rule. They didn't want to risk the spread of disease from wandering chao and flickies. Hopefully, this chao would share its life-energy with Manic, and aid in his healing.
"Thanks," Manic said, reaching in and petting the chao, "But I think you're gonna need this more. You and the baby"
He handed Sonic back the chao, and felt his brother's pregnant-belly again.
"I know you can handle this. We've been through worse"
Sonic nodded.
"And are you and bunnie still-"
"Yeah, but I don't think I want to have any children. Even adopting... I don't want them to go through what I have to"
Bunnie Rabbot was one of the first victims of the robot-gas, though she had taken the anti-gas. She just didn't take it in time, as the effect would not set in immediately. Bunnie was roboticized from the waist-down, and one of her arms had also been effected. Still, she was very cheerful, even with all the problems her roboticized parts gave her. She would probably die young, since the impurities couldn't all be filtered, and would slowly accumulate in her body.
"Well, get better, Manic. Sonia's gonna have a meeting soon, something about reassembling the Sonic Udara"
Manic laughed.
"Yeah, right! A burn-victim, a pregnant gannaum, and a bossy, annoying princess! Just great!"
Both of them guffawed at the thought.
"I'd better get going," Sonic said afterwards, "I'll see you tomorrow"
********
In her private room, Ebony contacted her aged binnaum, Athair. He had made her conception possible, and taught her the arts of magic. His wisdom was needed, badly.
"Athair, my husband, Ynnhoj, was right. Sonic is carrying a child, and we all fear that labor will awaken his beast. What do you see?"
Athair's face appeared on the screen.
"My daughter... It's not clear, but I believe there is hope. I do see his beast, but I also see hope for the child... there could be death in the future, but the hope is clearest"
"I pray that it is enough"
********
author's notes: this fic's getting serious. And the first two chapters still make me cringe... hoo, boy! Also, 'Udara' is a kind of Tenctonese warrior. Instead of 'Sonic Underground', we have 'Sonic Udara'.
in the tenctonese culture, living beings are believed to share their life-force with the weak, so giving a tenctonese cut-flowers, which are dying, is not a good idea. the thing to give a sick tenctonese would be a live animal or potted-plants.
and nu-nip is a chemical that acts like cat-nip, relaxing the tenctonese.
______________________________________________
"Sonic! Are you ok?"
Sonic woke up with a start.
"Wha-?"
Then he remembered. The elevator... the baby... Manic!
"Where's Manic? Is he ok?"
His vision cleared, and he saw his wife smile.
"Manic's fine," Sally said, "He's been taken to the hospital"
"Sally..." Sonic began, then he looked down at his swollen belly.
The squirrel just stroked her husband's face, and kissed him.
"I know," she said, smiling, "I know"
Tears formed in Sonic's eyes. How could she take it so easily?
"Don't act like that!"
"Act like what?" Sally cried.
"You know what! I could go super, and if I do, kill lots of people including the baby!"
Sally, seeing this, put her arms around her husband and pulled him into an embrace.
"Oh, Sonic... I'm so sorry..." she said, running her fingers through the soft quills on his back, "It's gonna be ok. I-I'll find some way..."
********
Sonia paced the floor of the palace. What was going on? There were several eenos in that store, Espio being one of them, so why was Manic the only one targeted?
The ever-elusive Oracle probably had the answer, but she knew she couldn't count on him for a straight answer, nor could she count on a certain rabbit.
But Sonia knew one thing. The Sonic Udara would have to be reassembled. She went to her private computer and buzzed her husband, Cyrus, who was fixing the security systems on Floating Island. He was really going to love this, Sonia thought.
"Cyrus, it's Sonia. You'd better come down planet-side. I've got a funny feeling the Sonic Udara's gonna need your help yet again... and yes, I know you're busy, but come down anyway because I'm your wife and head of this household!"
The hedgehog grinned. She tended to get a little weird, but rarely did she ever pull rank. Of course, Cyrus was used to that, and would most likely be there in the morning, with nu-nip just in case Sonia wasn't feeling well, probably hoping it would put her in a better mood.
********
"Hey, big-bro!"
Sonic smiled at his brother's voice. Manic, as usual, wasn't taking the attack seriously. He was probably trying not to worry anyone, but the way he always tempted fate, one couldn't help but worry.
"Manic, are you ok?" Sonic asked, even though it was evident that Manic was feeling fine, aside from a few burns.
"Still hurts a little. Hurt worse yesterday, when they were cleaning the wounds. Didn't have time for anesthetics..."
Sonic cringed. No anesthetics... very bad... He'd been burned like that before, and knew it was no fun. At least his burn wasn't bad enough to require that kind of immediate attention. It was before that accident, and Sonic learned that shots really didn't hurt all that much...
"I heard what happened. Sorry'bout that," Manic said, after a long pause, "I know how you feel about hurting the kid"
Manic felt the bulge where the pod was, and smiled.
"I don't know about you, but I think this little guy-or girl's gonna be fine"
"There's something weird about your attack, though, Manic," Sonic said, "Wasn't Farrel with you?"
Manic nodded.
"Hey, I'm his son, as far as he's concerned. What's wrong with that, besides being rather embarrassing?"
Typical Manic.
"Well, was he attacked? Were any of the other eenos that could've been there attacked? That place was in a bad part of town-"
"Hey, why are you insulting me?" the green hedgehog joked.
"Manic, be serious! A lot of eenos-who are very nice people by the way-hang out there. Were any of them attacked?" Sonic asked again, getting fed up with his brother's childishness.
Manic shook his head.
"Not that I know of. Why?"
"Sonia told me that you were the only one targeted. They just shot you and left. Don't you think that's odd?"
"They're probably just jealous because I look alot better than them! It's a curse, but I can live with it"
Sonic rolled his eyes. Manic was being difficult again, but it was always hard to reason with him. Or maybe that was just a front... he really didn't have a place where he belonged, where he felt at home.
Sighing, the blue hedgehog picked up a cage with a chao in it. It would seem cruel to keep a chao in a cage, but it was a hospital-rule. They didn't want to risk the spread of disease from wandering chao and flickies. Hopefully, this chao would share its life-energy with Manic, and aid in his healing.
"Thanks," Manic said, reaching in and petting the chao, "But I think you're gonna need this more. You and the baby"
He handed Sonic back the chao, and felt his brother's pregnant-belly again.
"I know you can handle this. We've been through worse"
Sonic nodded.
"And are you and bunnie still-"
"Yeah, but I don't think I want to have any children. Even adopting... I don't want them to go through what I have to"
Bunnie Rabbot was one of the first victims of the robot-gas, though she had taken the anti-gas. She just didn't take it in time, as the effect would not set in immediately. Bunnie was roboticized from the waist-down, and one of her arms had also been effected. Still, she was very cheerful, even with all the problems her roboticized parts gave her. She would probably die young, since the impurities couldn't all be filtered, and would slowly accumulate in her body.
"Well, get better, Manic. Sonia's gonna have a meeting soon, something about reassembling the Sonic Udara"
Manic laughed.
"Yeah, right! A burn-victim, a pregnant gannaum, and a bossy, annoying princess! Just great!"
Both of them guffawed at the thought.
"I'd better get going," Sonic said afterwards, "I'll see you tomorrow"
********
In her private room, Ebony contacted her aged binnaum, Athair. He had made her conception possible, and taught her the arts of magic. His wisdom was needed, badly.
"Athair, my husband, Ynnhoj, was right. Sonic is carrying a child, and we all fear that labor will awaken his beast. What do you see?"
Athair's face appeared on the screen.
"My daughter... It's not clear, but I believe there is hope. I do see his beast, but I also see hope for the child... there could be death in the future, but the hope is clearest"
"I pray that it is enough"
********