Chapter 15- in the end
"How goes the battle, Sir John?"
The king was speaking to the knight via videophone.
"Very well, Sire! Sonic and Lazer helped us immensely, and then invaded Robotropolis. I espied some bright flashes that originated from the heart of the city. I believe that they are faring well, as we are."
"Excellent news! Thank you. How is my daughter?"
"Her majesty, Sally? I will inquire."
He was viewing the battle from a hillock, away from the battlefield but close enough to watch the action. The remaining robots were being destroyed, not easily, but surely. He set the frequency on his transmitter.
"Your majesty!" he said loudly, "Are you quite well?"
"Yes, Sir John! Thanks for asking."
He heard a bomb blast, marred with static.
"Are you quite sure of your safety?" he asked again.
"Yes, that was just another dead robot! Princess signing out."
Sir John addressed the King once more.
"Your daughter is safe. She is a very good fighter, Sire."
"Yes, she is a spirited fighter, unfortunately. I would have preferred that she live in peaceful times."
"I share you sentiments, Sire."
Sally and her soldiers were winning. Elias had 'joined the fray' with his militia about ten minutes ago. They were driving the robot army back to the city from which they were spawned. They did not worry about gun turrets or cloaked defenses, since the two Brothers had decimated half of their enemy.
"Sally! Watch your back!"
It was Tails, swooping toward her from above. He fired an EMP shot behind her, and she could smell the fried circuits.
"Thanks! I can do fine by myself."
They fought together, 'aunt' and 'nephew'. Sally was in the heat of the fight, but always, she thought of Sonic. Where was he? What was he doing? She couldn't help but think of him. Love does that to a princess.
He was experiencing fear, an emotion he was intimately acquainted with. He was fleeing for his dear life in the EggMobile.
"I hate you, Sonic, and your friends, I hate you all!"
The EggMobile was retreating as fast as it could go, bobbing along the regions of air and clouds, bearing its creator to a safe haven.
"Some day. I swear to all the Gods and Goddesses. I will have vengeance!"
"It is NOT nice to swear like that!"
Robotnik's heart very nearly stopped. He was fearful that he would have a stroke at any moment. Lazer!
"Get away from me, you freak!" he shouted hoarsely, and aimed a barrage of missiles at the rainbow-marked hedgehog that was following him.
"Ah, you are amusing," Lazer laughed, and held up one hand toward the threat of explosive death. The missiles quivered, halted in mid-flight, then fell from the sky, useless. Lazer heard a long wail come from the EggMobile's flier. It was a drawn out yowl, like the death cry of an animal. It was the word 'NO'.
"Robotnik, stop your vehicle or I will!" Lazer commanded. He flew after Robotnik for five more seconds, giving the man his chance.
"It's your choice."
He held out both arms this time, and made a grasping gesture with both hands. Robotnik felt himself being lifted out of the seat, by some sinister unseen force. He also felt his fat, egg-shaped body being squeezed, and his eyes nearly popped.
Lazer grinned and clenched his other hand (the one that was not 'holding' Robotnik). A tremendous crunch followed, and Robotnik wheezed in terror. His EggMobile had been scrunched into a ball of scrap iron. He watched with dismay as the squashed EggMobile fell earthward.
"Yes, Robotnik, I did that, and I can do it to you just as easily. Come with me, and please don't struggle."
Lazer halted his flight, and reversed. He brought Robotnik around to his front, so he could keep an eye on him while he returned to Robotropolis.
"Well, what do you know, Robotnik? I've won. In fact, the Freedom Fighters have won. After more than four years, you're going to taste justice, and it will be bitter."
Lazer tried hard not to gloat and insult Robotnik like the dog he was. Meditation had helped him control his emotions, but he was tempted to squish Robotnik into nothing right then. He had the power to do so. All he needed to do was clench his fist. it would be so simple, and nobody would blame him, either.
"Lazer. you have become. very powerful," Robotnik was gasping. Lazer snapped at him:
"Silence! None of your whining will save you now. Xadra will be avenged. I'm looking forward to your execution very much."
"Heh. heh. heh." the egg shaped man choked, "I will not be executed today, rodent. You will not have the satisfaction."
Robotnik struggled fiercely and brought his flesh finger toward his mechanical arm. Lazer understood at once what was happening. Purely on impulse, he squeezed harder, and Robotnik's body gave way like an over- filled water balloon. His round body visibly compressed, but his finger reached the arm. Lazer screamed a single word, "NO", but too late was the cry. A green wire frame outlined the scientist under compression, and milliseconds later he had been teleported away from the crushing grip. Lazer stopped flying abruptly.
"ROBOTNIK!!" he roared at the sky, furious with himself and the evil genius that had escaped. He reached out with his mind, using maximum effort, but no trace of Robotnik was to be found. Why had he failed? Why? He should have knocked Robotnik senseless before trying to capture him! He forced his rage to settle, breathed long and hard, and whispered solemn words.
"Whether you are in the depths of Mobius or in the far reaches of outer space, I will hunt you down, Robotnik. I will hunt you for the rest of my life if I have to."
The words were a promise to himself and to his country Xadra. He turned away and flew to Robotropolis.
"Sonic?"
"Sally!"
They rushed into each other's arms. What did you expect, a formal conversation? The battle had ended. The remaining robots had been shot down and scrappily destroyed. The Freedom Fighters entered the city, thousands of them, baying for Robotnik's blood. They did not want to wait for a dignified military court. They wanted Robotnik dead, and they wanted him to die at their hands. He who had caused so many deaths three days ago would be eliminated without mercy. Sally broke away from Sonic's embrace and looked at the angry mob that was quickly forming.
"Calm down, everyone! We will bring Robotnik down soon!"
"We want him dead!" voices were shrilling. The cry soon went up, "Death to Robotnik!"
"Hey, hey, HEY!" Sonic shouted at them. The mob abated their cries upon hearing Sonic's voice. "I want Robotnik to die as much as any of you. Lazer is bringing him back now! He went after Robotnik not five minutes ago! I'll be damned if he's not bringing the bastard back any time now! And I will not, I repeat, NOT permit any bloodshed!"
Many voices rose in protest but Sonic shouted them down again, undaunted.
"Robotnik will get justice from the King! I am not going to let any of you TOUCH him until he's safe in Knothole's prison!"
"Listen to Sonic! He's making more sense than any of you!" Sally joined in, "What would your families think if you just killed Robotnik without thinking? You'll be murderers like he is! Listen to me! He will be arrested, and he WILL face justice!"
"Nice one, Sal," Sonic whispered. She gave an approving nod. The angry mob was no more. They knew that it would be useless to argue with figures of such authority, and what Sally had said about them being killers if they slaughtered Robotnik was also true. They calmed down and waited. Some sat upon the city's dirty streets, but most of the army restlessly moved around. They waited for the return of Lazer with Robotnik in tow. They would have waited in vain. Minutes later Lazer fell from the clouds and explained to Sonic and Sally in a hurried, low voice about his missing parcel. They said nothing, but their minds were in turmoil. How would they calm the crowd now?
"Allow me," Lazer said. The two of them stared at Lazer as if he had just offered himself as a living sacrifice to pagan gods, which was not too far off the mark. When the crowd found out he had failed to capture their archenemy, he might as well be offering himself for sacrifice.
"They'll crucify him," Sally thought despairingly as Lazer walked forward. Sonic was having similar thoughts, thinking that Lazer was nuts, but mostly wondered how his 'bro' would handle the situation. Lazer now stood before the crowd. He was just standing there. Many people had drawn near and were questioning him: where was Robotnik, where was Robotnik? He held up his arms and closed his eyes.
"Please be quiet. You must hear only my voice."
Almost the entire army jumped, male and female alike. They were hearing someone speaking in their head!
"Listen to my voice alone. Do not think of anything except what I am saying. Close your eyes, and listen carefully."
Sally and Sonic watched with amazement as the streets became silent, and the multitude of people shut their eyes. Everyone had heard his calm, telepathic voice and was listening intently. Lazer did not directly speak to them, but sent his thoughts and the emotions he was trying to express. He 'told' them that he had not succeeded in capturing Robotnik, but that outrageous thought was overlaid by his feelings of sorrow and repentance, and his remorse that he had failed them. Besides this, he reassured them that they had indeed won, and that the despot would never return to haunt their lives ever again. He soothed, he comforted, and he gave hope, with an outpouring of his mind to them. Lazer 'spoke' to them so convincingly those minutes, that later when they had opened their eyes, not a soul complained. They were all content that, although Robotnik had escaped them, they had won the final victory. Robotropolis would be re-named 'New Mobopolis' and the other city would join New Mobopolis to form a grand utopia. They did not grumble about their loss, in fact, they were rejoicing. Many of them began talking avidly to each other about how life would be peaceful from then on, and some laughed together that they would enjoy moving Robotnik's things out of the city to make room for their family. As you might understand, Sonic and Sally were shocked by the massive change in demeanor in the thousands of soldiers gathered there!
"I don't know how, but he's done it!" Sally said.
"He used telepathy! I understand now. he used something like what the sorceress used on us, a form of telepathy that caused us to sense emotions and see thoughts!"
Lazer walked slowly toward them, head bowed. He felt drained from broadcasting to the thousands.
"Bro! Really good job! I'm proud of ya."
"Thanks. What about Hannah?"
"The cat? I put her in bed. That hangar she came out of was her house, or something."
"I told you not to leave her!" Lazer said anxiously, and flew past them to Hannah's place. Sally was confused, but Sonic explained. The evil being inside of the sorceress' body was still alive, and could do more damage. Lazer was making sure that nothing else went wrong today.
"I was defeated! Defeated once more!"
The thing inside of Hannah was enraged, and in pain. It had awoken on the bed, still writhing within the feline body, and remembered its loss to the Brothers. Since that battle, Hannah's mind had emerged, and they were both conversing within the same mind.
"I am sorry, but I suppose that your powers weren't enough, even when you possessed my body."
"Foolish girl!" it hissed, "Your body is worthless! Useless! It was meant to bring me victory, and brought me defeat! For that I will make this body die!"
"What? WHY?"
The being resumed command, and started chanting another spell, one that would slay the caster. Hannah was screaming.
"I do not deserve this! It was your magic that wasn't enough! If you had tried harder, you would have won, but I do not deserve to die like this! Stop! Stop!"
She fought for control, but gained none. The evil creature continued to chant, cold heartedly, with no qualms about speeding Hannah to heaven or hell. All at once, the chanting ceased, and the sorceress raised her head to the doorway. A dazzling light was shining under the door, and as the 'two' of them watched, the door opened. She shielded her eyes as the living light walked into the room.
"I told you before that I would kill you. I will now carry out my threat!"
He was Lazer the hedgehog, a Brother of the Rainbow. The marks upon his skin were shining gloriously, but to the sorceress it was intolerably painful to watch.
"You again! But you cannot kill me. I know your mind and you will not kill me!"
"Oh?" he asked in contrary, "I can kill you, evil creature, but I will not kill Hannah."
"You may try, but you will not succeed. I will overcome you and use your body instead!"
"Make your own body. As the old phrase says, prepare to die."
The hedgehog and cat both pointed arms at one another, and attacked. The rainbow crashed into the discharge of black energy, and a resounding boom shook the hangar, shattering glass and upending ornaments. The two forces were matched evenly, but they refused to give up.
"We are even!" said Hannah.
"No. I have more than just the Rainbow."
Lazer reached within his being, and called forth his original power. The five Chaos Emeralds were summoned to attack, and attack they did. The Emeralds recognized the Rainbow; magic created by the Ancient Walkers, so they accepted it and strengthened it. The two powers, united, exploded from Lazer in a devastating blow of magic. The sorceress and the evil entity that possessed her could not hope to withstand such a massive output of power. She was thrown down, off the bed and onto the floor. She bowled over her coffee table and slid to a halt on the gray carpet. Lazer walked toward her, and she held up her arms, shielding her face from his light.
"Please. let me live in this body. I promise not to destroy it. I will go away from here."
"No. She does not deserve to be infected with your presence."
He kneeled and placed both hands on her head. The voice hissed.
"Die."
"You first."
A flare of conflicting powers came from their bodies. His was the power of the Ancient Walkers. Hers was the essence of Evil itself. The powers met and one of them overcame. The Rainbow entered Hannah's mind and extinguished all traces of the creature's presence, clearing her mind of the evil and the blackness. The light had triumphed once more. However, there was damage to be repaired: Hannah was still screaming for help. She awoke from the dark dream and cried aloud.
"No! I can't die!"
She surged forward, terrified, but Lazer held her. He forced her to look into his eyes.
"Hannah! The evil is gone from your body. It is no longer there. Do you understand?"
"Such. dark. evil." she said to him. Her eyes were jade-coloured, proof that the dark force held no more authority.
"Hannah. It's okay now. It's gone and it won't come back. The nightmare is over."
She was starting to cry, tears that soaked into her facial fur. She sobbed once and fell into him. He was startled, but she was hugging him closely. He awkwardly returned the embrace.
"You're warm," she sniffed, and laid her head upon his chest. He felt her hot tears rolling down his skin, and her furry arms around him. No one had held him like that for years. He was not sure what to do with her, the black cat who had wanted to kill him not two days past, but she needed comfort after being in hell for so long.
"How touching."
"Yes. It is strange."
"Very strange."
"I shall never understand young people."
Lazer stared around the room. Four voices. The elders! Hannah stopped hugging him and looked around with fear. The elders! They would punish her.
"Congratulations on your victory, Lazer."
"But the time is drawing to a close. We must take the Black Emerald."
"We will stop the evil spell from taking place, prevent the creature's-ss rebirth, and thus spare your allies-ss from death's hand."
"You may have grown fond of my great, great-niece, but she must return with us. She will face a grave sentence."
"Don't let them take me!" Hannah begged, looking into his eyes. Lazer sighed and held her paws in his.
"I don't exactly like you enough to defend you. But I know they won't kill you. You should be glad that they've come for you, Hannah. Maybe after you serve the sentence, and become a good sorceress, is when I'll see you again."
"You won't come with me? I'm sure the elders will permit you to stay on our island. At least I'll have a friend there waiting for me!"
A friend? Lazer shook his head.
"I'm with the Freedom Fighters, but I think that we'll meet again. I've got your life signature burned onto my mind. If you ever come to this country again, I'll be able seek you out."
"Yes, to see if I'm being a good kitty. It's too bad. you're the first person I had any real affection for."
"I'm sorry that I can't say the same."
"Oh yes! Your girlfriend, Rebecca, the one I learned about from your mind. She's a good person, but I suppose your opinion of her was masked by love."
"She's the most precious creature that Mobius has ever seen," Lazer said with reverence, "And no one will ever replace her."
"Well, seems that I've got competition."
Hannah got to her feet and held out her paw. Lazer stood and looked down at it.
"Will we be friends from now on?"
"Yes, we can, unless you become naughty again."
He offered his hand, and she shook it. Then she pulled him toward her and smooched him hard. He did not resist her passion during those intense moments. She pushed away from him and licked her smiling lips.
"So now I know what you taste like. I won't forget you, either."
"Uh. yeah. Goodbye, Hannah."
"Goodbye, Lazer. Oh, and she's alive. Thought you would like to know."
"She."
Hannah and the Black Emerald faded away. Lazer paused for a while to ponder what she had said. "She" was alive? It could only mean one person, one girl.
"If she is, then by the Walkers, I will find her again."
Lazer looked around at Hannah's room, chuckled for a moment, and walked away.
The homecoming to Knothole was fantastic. The Freedom Fighters who were waiting gave a tremendous cheer, as their fellow citizens emerged from the trees, victorious. The festivities died down when they heard that Robotnik had not been captured, but the returning soldiers gave their fellows something to think about when they said that Robotnik would never return. All in all, they were happy. The thunderclouds had been removed. The darkness had passed. The sun would shine anew. Friends and families laughed together on the streets, retelling the battle and how they fought. It was a wonderful day. The King declared it a national holiday, and the joy was complete.
"This day will forever be remembered as one of triumph and glory, when Robotnik was driven away and the Freedom Fighters celebrated victory," the King was heard saying. Sally and Elias rejoined their parents and there was much joy in Knothole castle that day, also.
The hours passed, and the day grew old. Those who had not returned to the Freedom Fighter city were doing so now.
"I'll tell my boyfriend all about you, Sonic!" Mina said to him. She gave him a quick hug and ran home with her suitcases. He and Tails waved as she disappeared through the trees.
"She's gonna make him happy, that's for sure!" Sonic remarked, laughing. Tails laughed with him.
"Hey, Sonic, what about your girlfriend?"
Sonic's eyes widened.
"Hey! Now's the perfect time! Bye Tails, I got some business to take care of."
"Good luck, Sonic!"
His friend raced away.
"I hope they make me the best man," Tails said happily to himself. He spun his tails and flew off to his hut, tires from the partying.
Bunnie had been secretly watching and listening to Sonic and Tails from the walkways above the huts. She smiled broadly as the blue hedgehog raced off, in the name of love.
"Well, muh shuga-hog, I hope y'all will have me as a bridesmaid."
She stood watching over Knothole and heard footfalls drawing near. She smiled again as her boyfriend, Antoine, approached.
"Shuga-Ant, do y'all know that Sonic's gonna propose to Sally?'
"Propose? Well, I weesh ze princess and him a happy life."
"Y'all don't feel a tiny bit jealous?"
"Why should I, when I have a most beautiful woman for myself?"
She blushed and turned her head away.
"Aw, shuga-Ant, y'all embarrassing me."
He came close and spoke softly into her ear, with that French accent of his.
"I found a very quiet glade in ze forest. Won't you join me, darleeng?"
Thus, another happy couple went to celebrate.
Sally was talking with her family in the dining hall when a guard knocked lightly on the door.
"Your majesties, please excuse me. There is a message for Princess Sally."
Seconds later, Sally had left, the message in her mind: 'You know where.'
The day was becoming darker; the sun was near to setting. The forest, which sunlight had trouble breaking through during the day, was pitch black. Sally was unconcerned about this, walking along a very familiar path. It led to a green, uncovered section of ground with a large, smooth tree stump at its dead center. Sonic and herself had found it years ago, and had used it to meet and talk often. She saw an array of lights coming from the open section of forest now; it was Sonic with the Rainbow about him. He had both arms behind his back, and was looking intently at her.
"I was waiting for ten minutes, forty four seconds," he said, as she stepped onto the tree stump. It had a wide surface, more than enough space to lay full body length.
"What do you want to talk about?" she asked simply, though she already knew.
"About us. I, uh, wrote this poem."
He brought his left arm from behind his back, with a crumpled piece of paper in hand. He began to read, with the dying sunlight and the Rainbow around him:
"We have loved each other for years,
Through the joys and the tears.
There are so many things we've left unsaid
And preferred to hide our feelings instead
But now, the time for unmasking has come
Since the battle we have won.
Together, you and I will stay
Always together, from this day.
Now I ask you, Sally Acorn, to be my wife
Until Destiny leads us to another life."
Sonic performed the traditional falling-to-one-knee and brought his other hand forward. It held an open silk box, and in the midst of the small cushion was the ring. The gold was twenty karats (eleven month's salary, remember), and the diamond was almost four millimeters in width. The precious stone glittered magnificently from the light of the Rainbow. Sally was struck speechless, and all her eyes could see was that ring with its huge diamond. Her knees felt weak, and her stomach tied itself in knots. She was ready to collapse. Her heart was fluttering rapidly, like it did during a kiss.
"Yes." she squeaked, and then, "Yes!" she cried ecstatically. Sonic exhaled again, his heart about to burst within his chest. He slipped the ring onto her left hand and stood up, kissing her without delay. Destiny is so good to me, he thought blissfully, and I do not deserve Her mercy. The kiss lasted almost a full minute, the oral embrace that sealed their future together. They at last pulled away from each other's lips, and breathed heavily. They felt a floating sensation, and their hearts and minds were filled with blissful joy. Never before had they been so happy with each other held close.
"I love you," he whispered into her ear. This "I love you" meant worlds more than all the others he had said to her.
"Sonic, oh Goddess, I love you more," she said, and tears ran from her eyes. He, too was crying, but did not feel ashamed. Tears of joy, tears of happiness, fell from their faces and mingled on the tree stump between them. They began another long kiss, and forgot everything else in the universe.
Lazer had walked all the way back to his hut, thinking long and hard about what he would do with his life. Robotnik was no longer a threat to the Freedom Fighters, but he was still considered a threat by Lazer. That man may have run from justice, but Lazer had taken an oath to see Robotnik receive his just reward. He walked among the trees, glad for the darkness they provided.
"Sleep, I just want to sleep now," he muttered to himself. Deep thinking could wait until the next day.
He strolled within sight of the Lake of Rings. He could see its clear waters from the cover of the trees, and while looking at the Lake he sensed another person. He sighed quietly, wondering who would want to come here at this hour, and silently stepped out of the trees, opposite to his hut that was across the Lake.
And he saw her. No, he did not see her, he felt her. With all of his mind and soul, he felt that girl who was standing by his hut. That girl affected him like none other; she affected him more than any other individual on Destiny's Mobius. He was fearful to utter her name, thinking that the spell would be broken and she would vanish into air.
"R. Rebecca."
No spell was broken, and the girl did not vanish. She was a red hedgehog. Instead of the V shaped patch of fur that Lazer wore, she had a wide curve, a semicircle of pinkish red fur. A tuft of light orange hair ran between her ears and fell across her forehead. Her eyes were large and brown, her nose delicate, her mouth small and beautiful. She wore a long white tee shirt, with a logo on it that held an elaborate L and an R overlaying each other. Her pants were short and also white in colour. Her feet wore white sneakers.
"Rebecca?" he repeated. If he were ensnared with Petrify magic, you would not have noticed. He stood stock-still and gaped with wonder. Was it her, the girl that he loved, that had disappeared before the bomb fell? How, in the name of all the cosmic powers, did she manage to escape, and be standing by his hut four and a half years later?
"Rebecca," he said loud enough so that she could hear him, with the still forest around her. She looked in his direction and also froze.
"Lazer?" she said uncertainly, in that voice he remembered so well. Rainbow lights were coming from his body, and she was in doubt. She said nothing as that person standing on the other end of the Lake left the ground and hovered slowly toward her. He alighted three feet away from her, and she saw that it was Lazer. The dark red fur, the orange skin, the V shaped fur on his head, the orange, spiked boots. The intense gaze he gave her with his black eyes.
"Lazer!" was all she could say. There were an infinite amount of unsaid words between them, and neither he nor she knew how to breach the gap. Lazer finally made a move and walked up to her. She also stepped closer.
"How did you get those. rainbows?"
"It's. a very long story. Rebecca, is that you? Rebecca Coriander?"
She nodded vigorously, eyes aglow.
"Where did you live five years ago?"
"The country Xadra, city of Adrax, Kane district, Parcinnan Avenue, house number eighty four," she recited. Lazer was still questioning her.
"And your house was."
"Painted smoky blue, green roof, with a small white patch that flaked off beside the attic window."
"You are Rebecca?" he asked in a low voice.
"Yeah, I am!"
"Then kiss me."
She drew closer, inches from his face, and stopped. She stepped backward, looked at him once more, and then kissed him, three times: once on the right side of his chest, the left cheek, and his forehead. He held her hands.
"You're. back."
Then a change came over Lazer, something that was completely adverse to the attitude he had developed over the years. His face seemed to melt and shift. His eyes were no longer hard and frowning. They liquidated into soft pools of black, adoring and passionate. His mouth, always set in a firm thin line, parted, and he gasped. Something else happened that was unthinkable. He began to cry. The tears were not of anger, and they were not of grief. They were drops of unimaginable joy, the joy of finding the person who filled the cavernous chasm in his heart, the joy of finding his love, his one and only, Rebecca.
It was tentative at first. He leaned closer to her face, wondering if she were ready. At first their lips only brushed, but the hunger was waking up in both of them. He kissed her, for the first time in eternity. He remembered her hot, moist mouth, the one he had kissed so often. He remembered the feel of her body pressed against his. Oh Goddess, he remembered everything. It took all of their will power to break away and talk again. They were both a bit breathless, with the rush of emotions that had stayed buried so long.
"After so long. I knew that you weren't dead, Rebecca. I knew that you were alive. If I had thought you were gone, I would have lost my mind."
"Lazer. I waited for you. I waited almost five agonizing years. There was not a single day that passed when I didn't remember you, can you believe that?" she whispered to him, her eyes overflowing.
"I can believe it, because I never forgot you. But, how did you escape? How did you get out? You disappeared a week before Xadra was bombed."
"The whole of Xadra was bombed?"
By the Walkers, he thought miserably, she doesn't know.
He broke the news to her that Xadra had been completely annihilated, and that he had seen the horrific aftermath. She asked him if it were true, that nothing was left. He nodded, dismayed that she had not known for so long. The tears flowed from her brown eyes again.
"I can't. think of such destruction. By the Goddess, Lazer, how did you live after seeing that?"
"You know those Ancient Walkers I told you about? They're real, and they helped me. They gave me the will to live. I'll tell you about that later, but Rebecca, how did you escape and end up here?"
She bravely choked back tears for her lost land.
"Myself and twenty others used a private transport, and we were flying over this country. I suppose we flew too close to Robotnik's city, and the automatic defenses picked us up on radar. It was the luckiest thing in the universe that the transport crashed near to the forest. Some Freedom Fighters saw us crash and managed to save us."
"All of you? Twenty? They're still alive?"
"Except for the pilot, of course. He died some hours after we made it to the Cridon Base."
It took a few hours for her to explain everything to Lazer. She told him that her immediate family was alive (both parents and sister), and that she was a Freedom Fighter. Lazer could not believe that the Cridon base was only forty-six miles south west of Knothole! Why hadn't he been told about the presence of other red hedgehogs among the Freedom Fighters? She told him about her life among the Freedom Fighters, the new friends she made and the people who won her respect.
"I have a karate school in the base. My class is about sixty five people, and about half of them are older than me."
"So, that first degree black belt paid off, huh? I still have my fourth degree somewhere in my hut. I bet that I can still whup you!" he said playfully.
"I don't think so. I became a fifth degree over the years. I was in training too!"
"Darn! You accomplished more than I did!" he laughed, and she laughed with him. Lazer was humbled when she talked. He knew that he could have helped the Freedom Fighters in so many other ways, but he had kept to himself all the time. Now that Rebecca was here, he had an incentive to go out and make a difference. The moon came into the sky, and the stars came out, but the lovers talked. And talked, and talked. There was so much to say, and now, they had all the time in the world.
Lazer the red hedgehog had re-discovered happiness.
The same crescent moon above Lazer and Rebecca also shone upon the bleak landscape, an area of Mobius where no mortal had even trodden before. There were no hills, no trees, no grass, and no living creatures, not even insects. It was upon this featureless land that a meeting took place. The three Masked Ones appeared, and stood silently. Then, the wind stopped. Clouds gathered above, and hid the moon and stars. The final figure appeared, His black robes hid His body, and His face was shrouded in unnatural darkness. He stood taller than even the Masked Ones, and He spoke with tremendous authority. His voice was as dark and terrible as the garments he wore.
"I am impatient with you, Ancient Walkers. You have defied My will for the first time in eons."
"We could not allow such a tragedy to befall Mobius. It was not right that so many die needlessly," they said as one.
"My will was that the Freedom Fighters be removed from this planet, so that a new breed of creatures could develop, stronger than any other beings. It was My will that evolution follow its course, but you interfered. You called upon the Brothers to save the Freedom Fighters."
"We felt pity, that so many would die."
"It does not matter what you feel, Ancient Walkers. With Destiny by my side, I created the heavens and Mobius, and saw that the creatures upon the planet were weak. It is My hand that decides their fate, for I AM Fate. It was not meant for you to defy My will."
"The Freedom Fighters are evolving upon their own plane. Eventually they will inherit Mobius. Leave them be! This planet does not need a new breed of creature, We are certain."
Fate's terrible voice withheld Its anger. The Ancient Walkers had defied Him, but He would be merciful.
"So be it. I will allow these Freedom Fighters to live. But do not defy me again, Masked Ones. You will rue the day that My hand falls upon you with anger."
His voice had spoken. Fate, the counterpart of Destiny, removed Himself from Mobius. The three Masked Ones also removed Their beings from Mobius.
The Ancient Walkers had defied Fate, so that the Freedom Fighters could live. Their very existence had been threatened, but Mobius had been spared the death of an entire race, a race of fighters. The Gods worked in mysterious ways.
"How goes the battle, Sir John?"
The king was speaking to the knight via videophone.
"Very well, Sire! Sonic and Lazer helped us immensely, and then invaded Robotropolis. I espied some bright flashes that originated from the heart of the city. I believe that they are faring well, as we are."
"Excellent news! Thank you. How is my daughter?"
"Her majesty, Sally? I will inquire."
He was viewing the battle from a hillock, away from the battlefield but close enough to watch the action. The remaining robots were being destroyed, not easily, but surely. He set the frequency on his transmitter.
"Your majesty!" he said loudly, "Are you quite well?"
"Yes, Sir John! Thanks for asking."
He heard a bomb blast, marred with static.
"Are you quite sure of your safety?" he asked again.
"Yes, that was just another dead robot! Princess signing out."
Sir John addressed the King once more.
"Your daughter is safe. She is a very good fighter, Sire."
"Yes, she is a spirited fighter, unfortunately. I would have preferred that she live in peaceful times."
"I share you sentiments, Sire."
Sally and her soldiers were winning. Elias had 'joined the fray' with his militia about ten minutes ago. They were driving the robot army back to the city from which they were spawned. They did not worry about gun turrets or cloaked defenses, since the two Brothers had decimated half of their enemy.
"Sally! Watch your back!"
It was Tails, swooping toward her from above. He fired an EMP shot behind her, and she could smell the fried circuits.
"Thanks! I can do fine by myself."
They fought together, 'aunt' and 'nephew'. Sally was in the heat of the fight, but always, she thought of Sonic. Where was he? What was he doing? She couldn't help but think of him. Love does that to a princess.
He was experiencing fear, an emotion he was intimately acquainted with. He was fleeing for his dear life in the EggMobile.
"I hate you, Sonic, and your friends, I hate you all!"
The EggMobile was retreating as fast as it could go, bobbing along the regions of air and clouds, bearing its creator to a safe haven.
"Some day. I swear to all the Gods and Goddesses. I will have vengeance!"
"It is NOT nice to swear like that!"
Robotnik's heart very nearly stopped. He was fearful that he would have a stroke at any moment. Lazer!
"Get away from me, you freak!" he shouted hoarsely, and aimed a barrage of missiles at the rainbow-marked hedgehog that was following him.
"Ah, you are amusing," Lazer laughed, and held up one hand toward the threat of explosive death. The missiles quivered, halted in mid-flight, then fell from the sky, useless. Lazer heard a long wail come from the EggMobile's flier. It was a drawn out yowl, like the death cry of an animal. It was the word 'NO'.
"Robotnik, stop your vehicle or I will!" Lazer commanded. He flew after Robotnik for five more seconds, giving the man his chance.
"It's your choice."
He held out both arms this time, and made a grasping gesture with both hands. Robotnik felt himself being lifted out of the seat, by some sinister unseen force. He also felt his fat, egg-shaped body being squeezed, and his eyes nearly popped.
Lazer grinned and clenched his other hand (the one that was not 'holding' Robotnik). A tremendous crunch followed, and Robotnik wheezed in terror. His EggMobile had been scrunched into a ball of scrap iron. He watched with dismay as the squashed EggMobile fell earthward.
"Yes, Robotnik, I did that, and I can do it to you just as easily. Come with me, and please don't struggle."
Lazer halted his flight, and reversed. He brought Robotnik around to his front, so he could keep an eye on him while he returned to Robotropolis.
"Well, what do you know, Robotnik? I've won. In fact, the Freedom Fighters have won. After more than four years, you're going to taste justice, and it will be bitter."
Lazer tried hard not to gloat and insult Robotnik like the dog he was. Meditation had helped him control his emotions, but he was tempted to squish Robotnik into nothing right then. He had the power to do so. All he needed to do was clench his fist. it would be so simple, and nobody would blame him, either.
"Lazer. you have become. very powerful," Robotnik was gasping. Lazer snapped at him:
"Silence! None of your whining will save you now. Xadra will be avenged. I'm looking forward to your execution very much."
"Heh. heh. heh." the egg shaped man choked, "I will not be executed today, rodent. You will not have the satisfaction."
Robotnik struggled fiercely and brought his flesh finger toward his mechanical arm. Lazer understood at once what was happening. Purely on impulse, he squeezed harder, and Robotnik's body gave way like an over- filled water balloon. His round body visibly compressed, but his finger reached the arm. Lazer screamed a single word, "NO", but too late was the cry. A green wire frame outlined the scientist under compression, and milliseconds later he had been teleported away from the crushing grip. Lazer stopped flying abruptly.
"ROBOTNIK!!" he roared at the sky, furious with himself and the evil genius that had escaped. He reached out with his mind, using maximum effort, but no trace of Robotnik was to be found. Why had he failed? Why? He should have knocked Robotnik senseless before trying to capture him! He forced his rage to settle, breathed long and hard, and whispered solemn words.
"Whether you are in the depths of Mobius or in the far reaches of outer space, I will hunt you down, Robotnik. I will hunt you for the rest of my life if I have to."
The words were a promise to himself and to his country Xadra. He turned away and flew to Robotropolis.
"Sonic?"
"Sally!"
They rushed into each other's arms. What did you expect, a formal conversation? The battle had ended. The remaining robots had been shot down and scrappily destroyed. The Freedom Fighters entered the city, thousands of them, baying for Robotnik's blood. They did not want to wait for a dignified military court. They wanted Robotnik dead, and they wanted him to die at their hands. He who had caused so many deaths three days ago would be eliminated without mercy. Sally broke away from Sonic's embrace and looked at the angry mob that was quickly forming.
"Calm down, everyone! We will bring Robotnik down soon!"
"We want him dead!" voices were shrilling. The cry soon went up, "Death to Robotnik!"
"Hey, hey, HEY!" Sonic shouted at them. The mob abated their cries upon hearing Sonic's voice. "I want Robotnik to die as much as any of you. Lazer is bringing him back now! He went after Robotnik not five minutes ago! I'll be damned if he's not bringing the bastard back any time now! And I will not, I repeat, NOT permit any bloodshed!"
Many voices rose in protest but Sonic shouted them down again, undaunted.
"Robotnik will get justice from the King! I am not going to let any of you TOUCH him until he's safe in Knothole's prison!"
"Listen to Sonic! He's making more sense than any of you!" Sally joined in, "What would your families think if you just killed Robotnik without thinking? You'll be murderers like he is! Listen to me! He will be arrested, and he WILL face justice!"
"Nice one, Sal," Sonic whispered. She gave an approving nod. The angry mob was no more. They knew that it would be useless to argue with figures of such authority, and what Sally had said about them being killers if they slaughtered Robotnik was also true. They calmed down and waited. Some sat upon the city's dirty streets, but most of the army restlessly moved around. They waited for the return of Lazer with Robotnik in tow. They would have waited in vain. Minutes later Lazer fell from the clouds and explained to Sonic and Sally in a hurried, low voice about his missing parcel. They said nothing, but their minds were in turmoil. How would they calm the crowd now?
"Allow me," Lazer said. The two of them stared at Lazer as if he had just offered himself as a living sacrifice to pagan gods, which was not too far off the mark. When the crowd found out he had failed to capture their archenemy, he might as well be offering himself for sacrifice.
"They'll crucify him," Sally thought despairingly as Lazer walked forward. Sonic was having similar thoughts, thinking that Lazer was nuts, but mostly wondered how his 'bro' would handle the situation. Lazer now stood before the crowd. He was just standing there. Many people had drawn near and were questioning him: where was Robotnik, where was Robotnik? He held up his arms and closed his eyes.
"Please be quiet. You must hear only my voice."
Almost the entire army jumped, male and female alike. They were hearing someone speaking in their head!
"Listen to my voice alone. Do not think of anything except what I am saying. Close your eyes, and listen carefully."
Sally and Sonic watched with amazement as the streets became silent, and the multitude of people shut their eyes. Everyone had heard his calm, telepathic voice and was listening intently. Lazer did not directly speak to them, but sent his thoughts and the emotions he was trying to express. He 'told' them that he had not succeeded in capturing Robotnik, but that outrageous thought was overlaid by his feelings of sorrow and repentance, and his remorse that he had failed them. Besides this, he reassured them that they had indeed won, and that the despot would never return to haunt their lives ever again. He soothed, he comforted, and he gave hope, with an outpouring of his mind to them. Lazer 'spoke' to them so convincingly those minutes, that later when they had opened their eyes, not a soul complained. They were all content that, although Robotnik had escaped them, they had won the final victory. Robotropolis would be re-named 'New Mobopolis' and the other city would join New Mobopolis to form a grand utopia. They did not grumble about their loss, in fact, they were rejoicing. Many of them began talking avidly to each other about how life would be peaceful from then on, and some laughed together that they would enjoy moving Robotnik's things out of the city to make room for their family. As you might understand, Sonic and Sally were shocked by the massive change in demeanor in the thousands of soldiers gathered there!
"I don't know how, but he's done it!" Sally said.
"He used telepathy! I understand now. he used something like what the sorceress used on us, a form of telepathy that caused us to sense emotions and see thoughts!"
Lazer walked slowly toward them, head bowed. He felt drained from broadcasting to the thousands.
"Bro! Really good job! I'm proud of ya."
"Thanks. What about Hannah?"
"The cat? I put her in bed. That hangar she came out of was her house, or something."
"I told you not to leave her!" Lazer said anxiously, and flew past them to Hannah's place. Sally was confused, but Sonic explained. The evil being inside of the sorceress' body was still alive, and could do more damage. Lazer was making sure that nothing else went wrong today.
"I was defeated! Defeated once more!"
The thing inside of Hannah was enraged, and in pain. It had awoken on the bed, still writhing within the feline body, and remembered its loss to the Brothers. Since that battle, Hannah's mind had emerged, and they were both conversing within the same mind.
"I am sorry, but I suppose that your powers weren't enough, even when you possessed my body."
"Foolish girl!" it hissed, "Your body is worthless! Useless! It was meant to bring me victory, and brought me defeat! For that I will make this body die!"
"What? WHY?"
The being resumed command, and started chanting another spell, one that would slay the caster. Hannah was screaming.
"I do not deserve this! It was your magic that wasn't enough! If you had tried harder, you would have won, but I do not deserve to die like this! Stop! Stop!"
She fought for control, but gained none. The evil creature continued to chant, cold heartedly, with no qualms about speeding Hannah to heaven or hell. All at once, the chanting ceased, and the sorceress raised her head to the doorway. A dazzling light was shining under the door, and as the 'two' of them watched, the door opened. She shielded her eyes as the living light walked into the room.
"I told you before that I would kill you. I will now carry out my threat!"
He was Lazer the hedgehog, a Brother of the Rainbow. The marks upon his skin were shining gloriously, but to the sorceress it was intolerably painful to watch.
"You again! But you cannot kill me. I know your mind and you will not kill me!"
"Oh?" he asked in contrary, "I can kill you, evil creature, but I will not kill Hannah."
"You may try, but you will not succeed. I will overcome you and use your body instead!"
"Make your own body. As the old phrase says, prepare to die."
The hedgehog and cat both pointed arms at one another, and attacked. The rainbow crashed into the discharge of black energy, and a resounding boom shook the hangar, shattering glass and upending ornaments. The two forces were matched evenly, but they refused to give up.
"We are even!" said Hannah.
"No. I have more than just the Rainbow."
Lazer reached within his being, and called forth his original power. The five Chaos Emeralds were summoned to attack, and attack they did. The Emeralds recognized the Rainbow; magic created by the Ancient Walkers, so they accepted it and strengthened it. The two powers, united, exploded from Lazer in a devastating blow of magic. The sorceress and the evil entity that possessed her could not hope to withstand such a massive output of power. She was thrown down, off the bed and onto the floor. She bowled over her coffee table and slid to a halt on the gray carpet. Lazer walked toward her, and she held up her arms, shielding her face from his light.
"Please. let me live in this body. I promise not to destroy it. I will go away from here."
"No. She does not deserve to be infected with your presence."
He kneeled and placed both hands on her head. The voice hissed.
"Die."
"You first."
A flare of conflicting powers came from their bodies. His was the power of the Ancient Walkers. Hers was the essence of Evil itself. The powers met and one of them overcame. The Rainbow entered Hannah's mind and extinguished all traces of the creature's presence, clearing her mind of the evil and the blackness. The light had triumphed once more. However, there was damage to be repaired: Hannah was still screaming for help. She awoke from the dark dream and cried aloud.
"No! I can't die!"
She surged forward, terrified, but Lazer held her. He forced her to look into his eyes.
"Hannah! The evil is gone from your body. It is no longer there. Do you understand?"
"Such. dark. evil." she said to him. Her eyes were jade-coloured, proof that the dark force held no more authority.
"Hannah. It's okay now. It's gone and it won't come back. The nightmare is over."
She was starting to cry, tears that soaked into her facial fur. She sobbed once and fell into him. He was startled, but she was hugging him closely. He awkwardly returned the embrace.
"You're warm," she sniffed, and laid her head upon his chest. He felt her hot tears rolling down his skin, and her furry arms around him. No one had held him like that for years. He was not sure what to do with her, the black cat who had wanted to kill him not two days past, but she needed comfort after being in hell for so long.
"How touching."
"Yes. It is strange."
"Very strange."
"I shall never understand young people."
Lazer stared around the room. Four voices. The elders! Hannah stopped hugging him and looked around with fear. The elders! They would punish her.
"Congratulations on your victory, Lazer."
"But the time is drawing to a close. We must take the Black Emerald."
"We will stop the evil spell from taking place, prevent the creature's-ss rebirth, and thus spare your allies-ss from death's hand."
"You may have grown fond of my great, great-niece, but she must return with us. She will face a grave sentence."
"Don't let them take me!" Hannah begged, looking into his eyes. Lazer sighed and held her paws in his.
"I don't exactly like you enough to defend you. But I know they won't kill you. You should be glad that they've come for you, Hannah. Maybe after you serve the sentence, and become a good sorceress, is when I'll see you again."
"You won't come with me? I'm sure the elders will permit you to stay on our island. At least I'll have a friend there waiting for me!"
A friend? Lazer shook his head.
"I'm with the Freedom Fighters, but I think that we'll meet again. I've got your life signature burned onto my mind. If you ever come to this country again, I'll be able seek you out."
"Yes, to see if I'm being a good kitty. It's too bad. you're the first person I had any real affection for."
"I'm sorry that I can't say the same."
"Oh yes! Your girlfriend, Rebecca, the one I learned about from your mind. She's a good person, but I suppose your opinion of her was masked by love."
"She's the most precious creature that Mobius has ever seen," Lazer said with reverence, "And no one will ever replace her."
"Well, seems that I've got competition."
Hannah got to her feet and held out her paw. Lazer stood and looked down at it.
"Will we be friends from now on?"
"Yes, we can, unless you become naughty again."
He offered his hand, and she shook it. Then she pulled him toward her and smooched him hard. He did not resist her passion during those intense moments. She pushed away from him and licked her smiling lips.
"So now I know what you taste like. I won't forget you, either."
"Uh. yeah. Goodbye, Hannah."
"Goodbye, Lazer. Oh, and she's alive. Thought you would like to know."
"She."
Hannah and the Black Emerald faded away. Lazer paused for a while to ponder what she had said. "She" was alive? It could only mean one person, one girl.
"If she is, then by the Walkers, I will find her again."
Lazer looked around at Hannah's room, chuckled for a moment, and walked away.
The homecoming to Knothole was fantastic. The Freedom Fighters who were waiting gave a tremendous cheer, as their fellow citizens emerged from the trees, victorious. The festivities died down when they heard that Robotnik had not been captured, but the returning soldiers gave their fellows something to think about when they said that Robotnik would never return. All in all, they were happy. The thunderclouds had been removed. The darkness had passed. The sun would shine anew. Friends and families laughed together on the streets, retelling the battle and how they fought. It was a wonderful day. The King declared it a national holiday, and the joy was complete.
"This day will forever be remembered as one of triumph and glory, when Robotnik was driven away and the Freedom Fighters celebrated victory," the King was heard saying. Sally and Elias rejoined their parents and there was much joy in Knothole castle that day, also.
The hours passed, and the day grew old. Those who had not returned to the Freedom Fighter city were doing so now.
"I'll tell my boyfriend all about you, Sonic!" Mina said to him. She gave him a quick hug and ran home with her suitcases. He and Tails waved as she disappeared through the trees.
"She's gonna make him happy, that's for sure!" Sonic remarked, laughing. Tails laughed with him.
"Hey, Sonic, what about your girlfriend?"
Sonic's eyes widened.
"Hey! Now's the perfect time! Bye Tails, I got some business to take care of."
"Good luck, Sonic!"
His friend raced away.
"I hope they make me the best man," Tails said happily to himself. He spun his tails and flew off to his hut, tires from the partying.
Bunnie had been secretly watching and listening to Sonic and Tails from the walkways above the huts. She smiled broadly as the blue hedgehog raced off, in the name of love.
"Well, muh shuga-hog, I hope y'all will have me as a bridesmaid."
She stood watching over Knothole and heard footfalls drawing near. She smiled again as her boyfriend, Antoine, approached.
"Shuga-Ant, do y'all know that Sonic's gonna propose to Sally?'
"Propose? Well, I weesh ze princess and him a happy life."
"Y'all don't feel a tiny bit jealous?"
"Why should I, when I have a most beautiful woman for myself?"
She blushed and turned her head away.
"Aw, shuga-Ant, y'all embarrassing me."
He came close and spoke softly into her ear, with that French accent of his.
"I found a very quiet glade in ze forest. Won't you join me, darleeng?"
Thus, another happy couple went to celebrate.
Sally was talking with her family in the dining hall when a guard knocked lightly on the door.
"Your majesties, please excuse me. There is a message for Princess Sally."
Seconds later, Sally had left, the message in her mind: 'You know where.'
The day was becoming darker; the sun was near to setting. The forest, which sunlight had trouble breaking through during the day, was pitch black. Sally was unconcerned about this, walking along a very familiar path. It led to a green, uncovered section of ground with a large, smooth tree stump at its dead center. Sonic and herself had found it years ago, and had used it to meet and talk often. She saw an array of lights coming from the open section of forest now; it was Sonic with the Rainbow about him. He had both arms behind his back, and was looking intently at her.
"I was waiting for ten minutes, forty four seconds," he said, as she stepped onto the tree stump. It had a wide surface, more than enough space to lay full body length.
"What do you want to talk about?" she asked simply, though she already knew.
"About us. I, uh, wrote this poem."
He brought his left arm from behind his back, with a crumpled piece of paper in hand. He began to read, with the dying sunlight and the Rainbow around him:
"We have loved each other for years,
Through the joys and the tears.
There are so many things we've left unsaid
And preferred to hide our feelings instead
But now, the time for unmasking has come
Since the battle we have won.
Together, you and I will stay
Always together, from this day.
Now I ask you, Sally Acorn, to be my wife
Until Destiny leads us to another life."
Sonic performed the traditional falling-to-one-knee and brought his other hand forward. It held an open silk box, and in the midst of the small cushion was the ring. The gold was twenty karats (eleven month's salary, remember), and the diamond was almost four millimeters in width. The precious stone glittered magnificently from the light of the Rainbow. Sally was struck speechless, and all her eyes could see was that ring with its huge diamond. Her knees felt weak, and her stomach tied itself in knots. She was ready to collapse. Her heart was fluttering rapidly, like it did during a kiss.
"Yes." she squeaked, and then, "Yes!" she cried ecstatically. Sonic exhaled again, his heart about to burst within his chest. He slipped the ring onto her left hand and stood up, kissing her without delay. Destiny is so good to me, he thought blissfully, and I do not deserve Her mercy. The kiss lasted almost a full minute, the oral embrace that sealed their future together. They at last pulled away from each other's lips, and breathed heavily. They felt a floating sensation, and their hearts and minds were filled with blissful joy. Never before had they been so happy with each other held close.
"I love you," he whispered into her ear. This "I love you" meant worlds more than all the others he had said to her.
"Sonic, oh Goddess, I love you more," she said, and tears ran from her eyes. He, too was crying, but did not feel ashamed. Tears of joy, tears of happiness, fell from their faces and mingled on the tree stump between them. They began another long kiss, and forgot everything else in the universe.
Lazer had walked all the way back to his hut, thinking long and hard about what he would do with his life. Robotnik was no longer a threat to the Freedom Fighters, but he was still considered a threat by Lazer. That man may have run from justice, but Lazer had taken an oath to see Robotnik receive his just reward. He walked among the trees, glad for the darkness they provided.
"Sleep, I just want to sleep now," he muttered to himself. Deep thinking could wait until the next day.
He strolled within sight of the Lake of Rings. He could see its clear waters from the cover of the trees, and while looking at the Lake he sensed another person. He sighed quietly, wondering who would want to come here at this hour, and silently stepped out of the trees, opposite to his hut that was across the Lake.
And he saw her. No, he did not see her, he felt her. With all of his mind and soul, he felt that girl who was standing by his hut. That girl affected him like none other; she affected him more than any other individual on Destiny's Mobius. He was fearful to utter her name, thinking that the spell would be broken and she would vanish into air.
"R. Rebecca."
No spell was broken, and the girl did not vanish. She was a red hedgehog. Instead of the V shaped patch of fur that Lazer wore, she had a wide curve, a semicircle of pinkish red fur. A tuft of light orange hair ran between her ears and fell across her forehead. Her eyes were large and brown, her nose delicate, her mouth small and beautiful. She wore a long white tee shirt, with a logo on it that held an elaborate L and an R overlaying each other. Her pants were short and also white in colour. Her feet wore white sneakers.
"Rebecca?" he repeated. If he were ensnared with Petrify magic, you would not have noticed. He stood stock-still and gaped with wonder. Was it her, the girl that he loved, that had disappeared before the bomb fell? How, in the name of all the cosmic powers, did she manage to escape, and be standing by his hut four and a half years later?
"Rebecca," he said loud enough so that she could hear him, with the still forest around her. She looked in his direction and also froze.
"Lazer?" she said uncertainly, in that voice he remembered so well. Rainbow lights were coming from his body, and she was in doubt. She said nothing as that person standing on the other end of the Lake left the ground and hovered slowly toward her. He alighted three feet away from her, and she saw that it was Lazer. The dark red fur, the orange skin, the V shaped fur on his head, the orange, spiked boots. The intense gaze he gave her with his black eyes.
"Lazer!" was all she could say. There were an infinite amount of unsaid words between them, and neither he nor she knew how to breach the gap. Lazer finally made a move and walked up to her. She also stepped closer.
"How did you get those. rainbows?"
"It's. a very long story. Rebecca, is that you? Rebecca Coriander?"
She nodded vigorously, eyes aglow.
"Where did you live five years ago?"
"The country Xadra, city of Adrax, Kane district, Parcinnan Avenue, house number eighty four," she recited. Lazer was still questioning her.
"And your house was."
"Painted smoky blue, green roof, with a small white patch that flaked off beside the attic window."
"You are Rebecca?" he asked in a low voice.
"Yeah, I am!"
"Then kiss me."
She drew closer, inches from his face, and stopped. She stepped backward, looked at him once more, and then kissed him, three times: once on the right side of his chest, the left cheek, and his forehead. He held her hands.
"You're. back."
Then a change came over Lazer, something that was completely adverse to the attitude he had developed over the years. His face seemed to melt and shift. His eyes were no longer hard and frowning. They liquidated into soft pools of black, adoring and passionate. His mouth, always set in a firm thin line, parted, and he gasped. Something else happened that was unthinkable. He began to cry. The tears were not of anger, and they were not of grief. They were drops of unimaginable joy, the joy of finding the person who filled the cavernous chasm in his heart, the joy of finding his love, his one and only, Rebecca.
It was tentative at first. He leaned closer to her face, wondering if she were ready. At first their lips only brushed, but the hunger was waking up in both of them. He kissed her, for the first time in eternity. He remembered her hot, moist mouth, the one he had kissed so often. He remembered the feel of her body pressed against his. Oh Goddess, he remembered everything. It took all of their will power to break away and talk again. They were both a bit breathless, with the rush of emotions that had stayed buried so long.
"After so long. I knew that you weren't dead, Rebecca. I knew that you were alive. If I had thought you were gone, I would have lost my mind."
"Lazer. I waited for you. I waited almost five agonizing years. There was not a single day that passed when I didn't remember you, can you believe that?" she whispered to him, her eyes overflowing.
"I can believe it, because I never forgot you. But, how did you escape? How did you get out? You disappeared a week before Xadra was bombed."
"The whole of Xadra was bombed?"
By the Walkers, he thought miserably, she doesn't know.
He broke the news to her that Xadra had been completely annihilated, and that he had seen the horrific aftermath. She asked him if it were true, that nothing was left. He nodded, dismayed that she had not known for so long. The tears flowed from her brown eyes again.
"I can't. think of such destruction. By the Goddess, Lazer, how did you live after seeing that?"
"You know those Ancient Walkers I told you about? They're real, and they helped me. They gave me the will to live. I'll tell you about that later, but Rebecca, how did you escape and end up here?"
She bravely choked back tears for her lost land.
"Myself and twenty others used a private transport, and we were flying over this country. I suppose we flew too close to Robotnik's city, and the automatic defenses picked us up on radar. It was the luckiest thing in the universe that the transport crashed near to the forest. Some Freedom Fighters saw us crash and managed to save us."
"All of you? Twenty? They're still alive?"
"Except for the pilot, of course. He died some hours after we made it to the Cridon Base."
It took a few hours for her to explain everything to Lazer. She told him that her immediate family was alive (both parents and sister), and that she was a Freedom Fighter. Lazer could not believe that the Cridon base was only forty-six miles south west of Knothole! Why hadn't he been told about the presence of other red hedgehogs among the Freedom Fighters? She told him about her life among the Freedom Fighters, the new friends she made and the people who won her respect.
"I have a karate school in the base. My class is about sixty five people, and about half of them are older than me."
"So, that first degree black belt paid off, huh? I still have my fourth degree somewhere in my hut. I bet that I can still whup you!" he said playfully.
"I don't think so. I became a fifth degree over the years. I was in training too!"
"Darn! You accomplished more than I did!" he laughed, and she laughed with him. Lazer was humbled when she talked. He knew that he could have helped the Freedom Fighters in so many other ways, but he had kept to himself all the time. Now that Rebecca was here, he had an incentive to go out and make a difference. The moon came into the sky, and the stars came out, but the lovers talked. And talked, and talked. There was so much to say, and now, they had all the time in the world.
Lazer the red hedgehog had re-discovered happiness.
The same crescent moon above Lazer and Rebecca also shone upon the bleak landscape, an area of Mobius where no mortal had even trodden before. There were no hills, no trees, no grass, and no living creatures, not even insects. It was upon this featureless land that a meeting took place. The three Masked Ones appeared, and stood silently. Then, the wind stopped. Clouds gathered above, and hid the moon and stars. The final figure appeared, His black robes hid His body, and His face was shrouded in unnatural darkness. He stood taller than even the Masked Ones, and He spoke with tremendous authority. His voice was as dark and terrible as the garments he wore.
"I am impatient with you, Ancient Walkers. You have defied My will for the first time in eons."
"We could not allow such a tragedy to befall Mobius. It was not right that so many die needlessly," they said as one.
"My will was that the Freedom Fighters be removed from this planet, so that a new breed of creatures could develop, stronger than any other beings. It was My will that evolution follow its course, but you interfered. You called upon the Brothers to save the Freedom Fighters."
"We felt pity, that so many would die."
"It does not matter what you feel, Ancient Walkers. With Destiny by my side, I created the heavens and Mobius, and saw that the creatures upon the planet were weak. It is My hand that decides their fate, for I AM Fate. It was not meant for you to defy My will."
"The Freedom Fighters are evolving upon their own plane. Eventually they will inherit Mobius. Leave them be! This planet does not need a new breed of creature, We are certain."
Fate's terrible voice withheld Its anger. The Ancient Walkers had defied Him, but He would be merciful.
"So be it. I will allow these Freedom Fighters to live. But do not defy me again, Masked Ones. You will rue the day that My hand falls upon you with anger."
His voice had spoken. Fate, the counterpart of Destiny, removed Himself from Mobius. The three Masked Ones also removed Their beings from Mobius.
The Ancient Walkers had defied Fate, so that the Freedom Fighters could live. Their very existence had been threatened, but Mobius had been spared the death of an entire race, a race of fighters. The Gods worked in mysterious ways.
