Sonic the Hedgehog Fanfiction
by Dustin Lawson (dustinman77@hotmail.com)
Sonic, Tails, Sally, Rotor, Bunnie, Evil Sally, etc. are (c) Sega, Archie Comics, and Dic. Used by me! without permission, since... oh, geez, it's a fanfic!
Damien, Enosh, Simone, and Callista are my characters (and so is Evil Sally, basically, since the Archie comic never expanded on her character in the least); please do not use them without permission. Thanx. Bane is (c)Bane Keldare.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
SonicWorlds
Chapter 7
"Preparation"
¤¤§¤¤
"Yeah, that's it... focus..."
Evil Sally's eyes squeezed tightly, not completely shut, glazed over. Energy leapt between her hands, sparking, seemingly uncontrollable. Perspiration matted the soft fur on her face as she concentrated on the energies, causing them to change from blue to violet.
"Indeed," Callista interjected. "Very good... continue to push."
"Harder," Bane added. "Remember not to panic."
Her teeth clenched as the energies faded from lilac to a mauve. She was so close... she had to reach further than she knew how, but it was possible... wasn't it?
"If you can't use pure ability, use anger," Bane was saying. "It's not the best way, but it will break through."
The dark squirrel continued to manipulate the surges surrounding her forearms, turning her thoughts to Simone. Anger and hate was all she felt for that woman, and it was more than enough.
"Whoa!" Tails shouted.
Sally drifted back to the present just in time to see that she had succeeded in creating a fireball roughly the size of a car. She released it, and it instantly incinerated the target; an old, dead tree, standing in the middle of the training room. She smiled weakly before collapsing to her knees, gasping.
"Very good, Sally..." Callista said.
"Thanks. The memory of that sadistic witch was plenty enough to make me 'fire off'."
Callista sighed and turned to Bane as Tails helped the squirrel to her feet. "While you were correct, young prince, you shouldn't have mentioned that," she said reproachfully. "Though it is the easy way, it is not the best, nor should it be used at all."
"Yeah, well, it's how I harnessed my power," he replied with a shrug. "I figured if she can do it with anger, it won't be long before she can do it without."
"But anger and hate lead to the dark side," Callista whispered. "As it stands now, she is not necessarily a fighter of valiance. Any encouragement down the path of evil should be completely avoided."
Bane sighed. "You're right, Callista." He gazed at her evenly. "You know, for a girl younger than me, you act a lot like my mother."
Callista hesitated a moment before replying. "Err, thank you... I suppose."
She then walked over toward Tails and Sally. They were drinking that power mixture of Dr. Quack's; foul-tasting junk that it was, it was supposed to amplify the progress made in a training session. She knew of a majickal tea that would probably have sufficed, and wouldn't have been as harsh on the taste buds. Alas, she couldn't argue with science.
"He's a real wuss under all that leather," Sally was saying.
"That's what I thought, raw-hided and chicken-hearted," Tails replied, laughing. Sally joined in the laughter. They didn't even realize how well they complimented each other's personality.
Callista cleared her throat before speaking. "I hate to interrupt such pleasant-sounding camaraderie, but..."
"Oh, sheeze," Sally said, rolling her eyes. "I hate doing those excersizes, they're so boring."
"My dear Sally, we've been over this a thousand, nay, two thousand times. Without proper mental excersize, your abilities will never grow as they should."
"Let 'em be stunted," she said flippantly. "I wanna go for a swim."
"Acquatic pleasures can come later," Callista said, mildly irritated. "Do your excersizes, young lady, or they will not come at all."
"Fine, fine." She gulped the rest of her shake and set it down. "I guess I can suffer through a half hour of 'ohmmmmm' as long as I get to take a dip later."
Tails shook his head. "You are not a kind person."
"You know you like me that way," she replied with a wink.
"Come along," Callista said, mainly to rescue Tails from nearly fainting. "The sooner we begin, the sooner you can attend to your... 'dip'."
"Right on," she replied, waving to the young fox as they went off toward the room Callista had set up as a sort of temple of meditation.
"Hey, man, you okay?"
"Huh?" Tails said, looking up.
Bane peered at him, his eyebrows knitted. "What's wrong with you?"
"Uh, nothin'," Tails said, smiling quickly. "Why?"
"Oh, I see," the dark hedgehog said with a grin.
"What, what?!" Tails folded his arms. "What do you THINK you see?"
"I knew you had a bit of a personal interest in these training sessions, but I didn't realize just how bad you had it." He shook his head. "When one wink makes you get all woozy like that, you really got it bad."
"I, uh, don't know what you're talking about."
"Of course. Don't worry, I won't tell your target you're aiming for her."
Tails merely laughed and scratched the back of his neck, shrugged, and walked off.
"No chance," Bane said to himself. "Not a chance."
¤¤§¤¤
"SNIVLEY!!!"
A rather stumpy man with a round head came running into the room. The only thing that looked more ridiculous than the few hairs on his head was the giant pointy nose on his face. "You shouted, sir?"
"Get Simone in here... I would have words with her."
"Yes, sir," he replied, running back out.
Dr. Ivo Robotnik rubbed his mustache thoughtfully. Why had it been so long since there had been any word? He had seen what she could do, which is what made it so hard to believe that she hadn't succeeded yet.
"You rang, m'lord?"
"Ahh, yes, Simone," he said, smiling. "You look as lovely as ever."
"Yes, I know," she said, smiling seductively. "Now why am I here?"
He took in a breath before continuing. "I've become somewhat unsure that you can accomplish your goal alone."
Her smile faded a bit, replaced by a slight scowl. "I'm working on it."
"Well, if you are, you certainly know how to take your time."
"Doctor, there has been a... development."
His eyebrow raised. "What sort of development?"
"The dark one... from the other dimension... her abilities have surfaced ahead of time."
"Well, all the better, then."
"No," she replied, shaking her head. "You obviously didn't get my memo."
"I never read those things."
"Well, if you HAD, you would know that through a series of unfortunate events, I lost my hold over her."
"What?!" Robotnik sat upright in his chair, depressing the button that moved him in closer to her. "This is less than good!"
"Don't you think I realize that?" She folded her arms. "I was right about one thing... her power is a force to be reckoned with. I attempted to recover her, and she fended me off."
"Come, now, Simone. She can't already be that powerful."
"She isn't; the attack merely caught me off guard, but by now, I'm sure, she has taken the time to hone her abilities."
"Yes, those infernal Freedom Fools are probably training her as we speak."
¤¤§¤¤
She looked up into the cavernous ceiling. She liked the way the blues, dark reds, and violets melted together in the spaces between the stalactites. She could feel herself floating; drifting away from the noise, the dangers, the memories. She was calm and at peace. There was nothing else to oppose what she was thinking, nobody telling her she was always wrong.
"Who needs meditation?"
"Not you, I guess."
Evil Sally gasped and sat up. "Tl-blak!" Suddenly air ceased to exist; her arms whirled around, striving to achieve some sort of balance. She finally succeeded in getting her feet under her and stood up, the water coming up to her shoulders, glaring at the fox standing at the edge. "You scared the living crap outta me!"
He scratched the back of his head. "Sorry, Sally, I didn't mean to. You okay?"
She folded her arms, flipping her hair out of her eyes. "Oh, just shaken, that's all." She cocked her head. "I didn't hear you walk up. Just how long were you standing there?"
"Uh, not real long."
"Out with it, freak." She no longer said that word venemously; in fact, it was now kind of a pet name she had for him.
"Alright, a few minutes."
She smiled slightly. "Tails Prower, were you admiring my bikini?"
"I, uhh..." He swallowed hard before continuing. "Well, you looked so peaceful, so I didn't want to interrupt you."
She adjusted the baby-blue string over her left shoulder. "Thank you, then, but you still made me jump out of my skin."
"Need me to put you back in it?"
"You just want to touch it."
"Hey, I didn't-"
"Yeah, I know you didn't." She dove underwater and swam a quick lap, surfacing under the waterfall. She turned to look at him, but he wasn't there.
"What the-"
Suddenly his head popped up two inches in front of her.
"AAAAGH!!!" She backpaddled a little before she realized it was him; then she swam forward and punched him on the shoulder. "Cut it out!"
He was laughing slighty, and now was rubbing his shoulder. "Did I mention I came down here to join you?"
"Did you mention you're a jerk?!" She tried to glare at him, but couldn't help smiling a little.
"No, I forgot to, sorry."
She laughed, then dove on top of him, forcing his head under the water. "Apology accepted!"
His arms flailed around her, smacking her ribs occaisionally. She swam backwards and held him up by his hair. "Yes? You wanted something?"
"Oxygen," he panted.
"Your wish is granted," she said, letting him go and swimming away.
"Oh, no you don't," he said, swimming after her. "Payback time!"
¤¤§¤¤
Bane walked down the hall toward Sonic's room. He had been fairly busy with Evil Sally's training the past few weeks, and hadn't had the chance to check up on his brother.
As he walked down the hall, he passed the she-devil herself, walking with Tails. They were both wearing towels.
"Hey, Bane!" Tails said, waving. Bane merely shook his head and walked on.
The door to Sonic's room was shut, but that didn't muffle the searing riffs coming from within. Bane opened the door to see him laying back on the dresser, guitar situated on his stomach, his foot propped up on the amplifier.
"Sonic?" No answer. He walked in and said louder, "Yo, Sonic!" Still no answer. "SONIC!!!" It was no use; the amp was up too loud. Bane walked over and jerked the guitar cord out of it. It slowly died as the blue hedgehog looked up.
"Oh, hey, bro," he said, grinning. "What's up?"
"The volume, evidently," Bane said with a laugh. "Just dropping by to see what's been going on."
"Not a lot," he said, sitting up. "I mostly hang around, eat, and practice. I wrote a killer new song, man."
"Good, good. I've been busy with-"
"Yeah, I know," he said, shrugging. "I went down there to see if you wanted to jam, and they told me you were 'indisposed with Her Majesty's orders' or some funk."
"Sorry, dude, but the Princess of Darkness takes precedence over music." He sighed. "I think Callista could handle it by herself, but orders are orders."
"Don't worry about it. I'm mostly itching for some freedom fightin' action!"
Bane smiled. "Ready to kick robo-butt and forget about the names?"
"Yep." He grinned. "Not too often you get to take down an evil dictator TWICE, you know."
"True, true. Well, I'm beat, I'm gonna go hit the sack."
"Okay, man," he said, plugging his guitar back in. "Don't be a stranger."
"You either."
As he left the room, he was escorted by the loud blaring of the opening chords of "Heavy Metal Machine".
¤¤§¤¤
"I don't feel too good about this..."
"Hey, I'm right here," Tails said.
Evil Sally was hovering some eight feet above the ground, her arms outstretched, legs together, bare toes pointing at the ground. The dark purple robe swirled around her, as the energy currents surrounding her held her aloft.
"All that's holding me up is my energy," she said nervously. "I'm... I'm a little scared."
"You're fine," he replied. He was hovering under and to the right of her.
"Try not to think of being scared," Bane called up to her. "That's the kind of thing that messes you up the worst."
"Concentrate on the feelings," Callista shouted. "You have felt the energies from when I cast you aloft. Duplicating them only becomes easier with practice. You are doing well."
Sally's head raised level as her eyes watered. She could feel the beads of sweat running through her fur. She could see her hair in her face, nearly drenched. Learning new feats always took more out of her than practicing old ones.
"Sally!"
She realized she was beginning to float downward. She composed herself, concentrated once again, and raised herself back to the appointed height.
"Sorry," she called down. "Just thinking about stuff."
"You'll be able to do such things," Callista responded, "but only after you are accustomed to it enough. It will become as walking; automatic, and not requiring constant thought."
"Well, I've done my gravity-defying for the day. Can I, uh, come down now?"
"Yes, you have done well. Descend slowly."
As she begin to levitate downward steadily, the door opened. Princess Sally walked in, a clipboard under her arm.
"Your majesty!" Evil Sally saluted -- and lost control. She dropped the last foot and landed on her rear with a bump. "Oww..."
"Sorry!" the Princess said, rushing over to her. "I didn't mean to interrupt anything. Are you alright?"
"Takes more that that to put me out of comission," she said, taking Tails's quicky-outstretched hand and pulling to her feet. "Thanks, Tails."
"No problem."
"Good," Princess Sally said, pulling out her clipboard. "I just came down to see how things were going with training. What kind of progress has she made, how much is left to go. That sort of thing. I normally would've sent someone, but I'm too curious." She smiled a bit after that last phrase.
"Our protige has made remarkeable progress," Callista spoke up. "In the past month, she has mastered fire, wind, and lightning manipulation, basic telepathy and telekinesis, and levitation -- as you observed."
"Yes, I certainly did," she said, writing all this down on her clipboard. "Certainly sounds like things are going smoothly between the four of you."
"It's her natural ability," Bane added. "She's going to be stronger than all of us when her training is finished."
"What are you guys buttering me up for?" Evil Sally said with a sly smile.
"I wasn't aware speaking the truth was 'buttering up'," Callista replied. "You are the strongest practitioner of the dark arts I have ever come across, including our own Kanesku."
"You're making me blush," she said, hiding her face.
"Well, all seems fine here, I guess," the Princess said, tucking the clipboard back under her arm. "Keep at it!"
"Actually, the day's training is finished," Callista said. "You may go."
"Really?" Evil Sally said, smiling broadley. "I can go early?"
"I believe I spoke clearly."
"Thanks," she said, dashing over to the shelf where her boots were waiting for her.
"She's a handful, isn't she?" Princess Sally commented to Callista.
"On some days," she replied in a whisper. "Others, she is the best student I've ever had. She is a very moody child."
"Child..." Sally had a puzzled look on her face. "You know, we shouldn't think of her like that. She is the same age as we are."
"'Tis the immaturity. The Acorn females are brought up properly, under normal circumstances. Your growth as a leader was accelerated due to the stress of war. Our dark counterpart, however, fell in with a band of hooligans, which not only stopped her growth as a young woman, but most likely even regressed her a bit."
"Sounds pretty accurate. I just hope we're rubbing off on her a bit. She needs to learn a little responsibility, a sense of right and wrong."
"I believe she is. Slowly, to be sure, but she is learning."
"Hmm." Sally noticed the way Tails was fawning over the dark squirrel as they left. "How bad do you think he has it for her?"
"Bad," Bane said as he joined them. He had been putting away Evil Sally's training robe. "I saw the look on his face earlier this week. If a girl can do that to you with one little wink, there's no hope."
"I see," Sally said smiling. Then she frowned a little. "She's trouble. I hope he knows what he's getting into."
"Your Majesty," a voice said, coming from her wristwatch. She depressed a button on it. "Go on, Damien."
"We may have to move, and soon."
All hint of a smile disappeared from Sally's face instantly. "Why, what happened?"
"I think you should come to the briefing room immediately."
Sally looked up at Bane and Callista, then replied, "On our way. Please contact the others."
"Will do. Out."
With that, she motioned to them, and they quickly left the training room and turned down the hall.
Sally wondered aloud, "What now?"
¤¤§¤¤
the end
(chapter 8... 'tis
a certainty)
by Dustin Lawson (dustinman77@hotmail.com)
Sonic, Tails, Sally, Rotor, Bunnie, Evil Sally, etc. are (c) Sega, Archie Comics, and Dic. Used by me! without permission, since... oh, geez, it's a fanfic!
Damien, Enosh, Simone, and Callista are my characters (and so is Evil Sally, basically, since the Archie comic never expanded on her character in the least); please do not use them without permission. Thanx. Bane is (c)Bane Keldare.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
SonicWorlds
Chapter 7
"Preparation"
¤¤§¤¤
"Yeah, that's it... focus..."
Evil Sally's eyes squeezed tightly, not completely shut, glazed over. Energy leapt between her hands, sparking, seemingly uncontrollable. Perspiration matted the soft fur on her face as she concentrated on the energies, causing them to change from blue to violet.
"Indeed," Callista interjected. "Very good... continue to push."
"Harder," Bane added. "Remember not to panic."
Her teeth clenched as the energies faded from lilac to a mauve. She was so close... she had to reach further than she knew how, but it was possible... wasn't it?
"If you can't use pure ability, use anger," Bane was saying. "It's not the best way, but it will break through."
The dark squirrel continued to manipulate the surges surrounding her forearms, turning her thoughts to Simone. Anger and hate was all she felt for that woman, and it was more than enough.
"Whoa!" Tails shouted.
Sally drifted back to the present just in time to see that she had succeeded in creating a fireball roughly the size of a car. She released it, and it instantly incinerated the target; an old, dead tree, standing in the middle of the training room. She smiled weakly before collapsing to her knees, gasping.
"Very good, Sally..." Callista said.
"Thanks. The memory of that sadistic witch was plenty enough to make me 'fire off'."
Callista sighed and turned to Bane as Tails helped the squirrel to her feet. "While you were correct, young prince, you shouldn't have mentioned that," she said reproachfully. "Though it is the easy way, it is not the best, nor should it be used at all."
"Yeah, well, it's how I harnessed my power," he replied with a shrug. "I figured if she can do it with anger, it won't be long before she can do it without."
"But anger and hate lead to the dark side," Callista whispered. "As it stands now, she is not necessarily a fighter of valiance. Any encouragement down the path of evil should be completely avoided."
Bane sighed. "You're right, Callista." He gazed at her evenly. "You know, for a girl younger than me, you act a lot like my mother."
Callista hesitated a moment before replying. "Err, thank you... I suppose."
She then walked over toward Tails and Sally. They were drinking that power mixture of Dr. Quack's; foul-tasting junk that it was, it was supposed to amplify the progress made in a training session. She knew of a majickal tea that would probably have sufficed, and wouldn't have been as harsh on the taste buds. Alas, she couldn't argue with science.
"He's a real wuss under all that leather," Sally was saying.
"That's what I thought, raw-hided and chicken-hearted," Tails replied, laughing. Sally joined in the laughter. They didn't even realize how well they complimented each other's personality.
Callista cleared her throat before speaking. "I hate to interrupt such pleasant-sounding camaraderie, but..."
"Oh, sheeze," Sally said, rolling her eyes. "I hate doing those excersizes, they're so boring."
"My dear Sally, we've been over this a thousand, nay, two thousand times. Without proper mental excersize, your abilities will never grow as they should."
"Let 'em be stunted," she said flippantly. "I wanna go for a swim."
"Acquatic pleasures can come later," Callista said, mildly irritated. "Do your excersizes, young lady, or they will not come at all."
"Fine, fine." She gulped the rest of her shake and set it down. "I guess I can suffer through a half hour of 'ohmmmmm' as long as I get to take a dip later."
Tails shook his head. "You are not a kind person."
"You know you like me that way," she replied with a wink.
"Come along," Callista said, mainly to rescue Tails from nearly fainting. "The sooner we begin, the sooner you can attend to your... 'dip'."
"Right on," she replied, waving to the young fox as they went off toward the room Callista had set up as a sort of temple of meditation.
"Hey, man, you okay?"
"Huh?" Tails said, looking up.
Bane peered at him, his eyebrows knitted. "What's wrong with you?"
"Uh, nothin'," Tails said, smiling quickly. "Why?"
"Oh, I see," the dark hedgehog said with a grin.
"What, what?!" Tails folded his arms. "What do you THINK you see?"
"I knew you had a bit of a personal interest in these training sessions, but I didn't realize just how bad you had it." He shook his head. "When one wink makes you get all woozy like that, you really got it bad."
"I, uh, don't know what you're talking about."
"Of course. Don't worry, I won't tell your target you're aiming for her."
Tails merely laughed and scratched the back of his neck, shrugged, and walked off.
"No chance," Bane said to himself. "Not a chance."
¤¤§¤¤
"SNIVLEY!!!"
A rather stumpy man with a round head came running into the room. The only thing that looked more ridiculous than the few hairs on his head was the giant pointy nose on his face. "You shouted, sir?"
"Get Simone in here... I would have words with her."
"Yes, sir," he replied, running back out.
Dr. Ivo Robotnik rubbed his mustache thoughtfully. Why had it been so long since there had been any word? He had seen what she could do, which is what made it so hard to believe that she hadn't succeeded yet.
"You rang, m'lord?"
"Ahh, yes, Simone," he said, smiling. "You look as lovely as ever."
"Yes, I know," she said, smiling seductively. "Now why am I here?"
He took in a breath before continuing. "I've become somewhat unsure that you can accomplish your goal alone."
Her smile faded a bit, replaced by a slight scowl. "I'm working on it."
"Well, if you are, you certainly know how to take your time."
"Doctor, there has been a... development."
His eyebrow raised. "What sort of development?"
"The dark one... from the other dimension... her abilities have surfaced ahead of time."
"Well, all the better, then."
"No," she replied, shaking her head. "You obviously didn't get my memo."
"I never read those things."
"Well, if you HAD, you would know that through a series of unfortunate events, I lost my hold over her."
"What?!" Robotnik sat upright in his chair, depressing the button that moved him in closer to her. "This is less than good!"
"Don't you think I realize that?" She folded her arms. "I was right about one thing... her power is a force to be reckoned with. I attempted to recover her, and she fended me off."
"Come, now, Simone. She can't already be that powerful."
"She isn't; the attack merely caught me off guard, but by now, I'm sure, she has taken the time to hone her abilities."
"Yes, those infernal Freedom Fools are probably training her as we speak."
¤¤§¤¤
She looked up into the cavernous ceiling. She liked the way the blues, dark reds, and violets melted together in the spaces between the stalactites. She could feel herself floating; drifting away from the noise, the dangers, the memories. She was calm and at peace. There was nothing else to oppose what she was thinking, nobody telling her she was always wrong.
"Who needs meditation?"
"Not you, I guess."
Evil Sally gasped and sat up. "Tl-blak!" Suddenly air ceased to exist; her arms whirled around, striving to achieve some sort of balance. She finally succeeded in getting her feet under her and stood up, the water coming up to her shoulders, glaring at the fox standing at the edge. "You scared the living crap outta me!"
He scratched the back of his head. "Sorry, Sally, I didn't mean to. You okay?"
She folded her arms, flipping her hair out of her eyes. "Oh, just shaken, that's all." She cocked her head. "I didn't hear you walk up. Just how long were you standing there?"
"Uh, not real long."
"Out with it, freak." She no longer said that word venemously; in fact, it was now kind of a pet name she had for him.
"Alright, a few minutes."
She smiled slightly. "Tails Prower, were you admiring my bikini?"
"I, uhh..." He swallowed hard before continuing. "Well, you looked so peaceful, so I didn't want to interrupt you."
She adjusted the baby-blue string over her left shoulder. "Thank you, then, but you still made me jump out of my skin."
"Need me to put you back in it?"
"You just want to touch it."
"Hey, I didn't-"
"Yeah, I know you didn't." She dove underwater and swam a quick lap, surfacing under the waterfall. She turned to look at him, but he wasn't there.
"What the-"
Suddenly his head popped up two inches in front of her.
"AAAAGH!!!" She backpaddled a little before she realized it was him; then she swam forward and punched him on the shoulder. "Cut it out!"
He was laughing slighty, and now was rubbing his shoulder. "Did I mention I came down here to join you?"
"Did you mention you're a jerk?!" She tried to glare at him, but couldn't help smiling a little.
"No, I forgot to, sorry."
She laughed, then dove on top of him, forcing his head under the water. "Apology accepted!"
His arms flailed around her, smacking her ribs occaisionally. She swam backwards and held him up by his hair. "Yes? You wanted something?"
"Oxygen," he panted.
"Your wish is granted," she said, letting him go and swimming away.
"Oh, no you don't," he said, swimming after her. "Payback time!"
¤¤§¤¤
Bane walked down the hall toward Sonic's room. He had been fairly busy with Evil Sally's training the past few weeks, and hadn't had the chance to check up on his brother.
As he walked down the hall, he passed the she-devil herself, walking with Tails. They were both wearing towels.
"Hey, Bane!" Tails said, waving. Bane merely shook his head and walked on.
The door to Sonic's room was shut, but that didn't muffle the searing riffs coming from within. Bane opened the door to see him laying back on the dresser, guitar situated on his stomach, his foot propped up on the amplifier.
"Sonic?" No answer. He walked in and said louder, "Yo, Sonic!" Still no answer. "SONIC!!!" It was no use; the amp was up too loud. Bane walked over and jerked the guitar cord out of it. It slowly died as the blue hedgehog looked up.
"Oh, hey, bro," he said, grinning. "What's up?"
"The volume, evidently," Bane said with a laugh. "Just dropping by to see what's been going on."
"Not a lot," he said, sitting up. "I mostly hang around, eat, and practice. I wrote a killer new song, man."
"Good, good. I've been busy with-"
"Yeah, I know," he said, shrugging. "I went down there to see if you wanted to jam, and they told me you were 'indisposed with Her Majesty's orders' or some funk."
"Sorry, dude, but the Princess of Darkness takes precedence over music." He sighed. "I think Callista could handle it by herself, but orders are orders."
"Don't worry about it. I'm mostly itching for some freedom fightin' action!"
Bane smiled. "Ready to kick robo-butt and forget about the names?"
"Yep." He grinned. "Not too often you get to take down an evil dictator TWICE, you know."
"True, true. Well, I'm beat, I'm gonna go hit the sack."
"Okay, man," he said, plugging his guitar back in. "Don't be a stranger."
"You either."
As he left the room, he was escorted by the loud blaring of the opening chords of "Heavy Metal Machine".
¤¤§¤¤
"I don't feel too good about this..."
"Hey, I'm right here," Tails said.
Evil Sally was hovering some eight feet above the ground, her arms outstretched, legs together, bare toes pointing at the ground. The dark purple robe swirled around her, as the energy currents surrounding her held her aloft.
"All that's holding me up is my energy," she said nervously. "I'm... I'm a little scared."
"You're fine," he replied. He was hovering under and to the right of her.
"Try not to think of being scared," Bane called up to her. "That's the kind of thing that messes you up the worst."
"Concentrate on the feelings," Callista shouted. "You have felt the energies from when I cast you aloft. Duplicating them only becomes easier with practice. You are doing well."
Sally's head raised level as her eyes watered. She could feel the beads of sweat running through her fur. She could see her hair in her face, nearly drenched. Learning new feats always took more out of her than practicing old ones.
"Sally!"
She realized she was beginning to float downward. She composed herself, concentrated once again, and raised herself back to the appointed height.
"Sorry," she called down. "Just thinking about stuff."
"You'll be able to do such things," Callista responded, "but only after you are accustomed to it enough. It will become as walking; automatic, and not requiring constant thought."
"Well, I've done my gravity-defying for the day. Can I, uh, come down now?"
"Yes, you have done well. Descend slowly."
As she begin to levitate downward steadily, the door opened. Princess Sally walked in, a clipboard under her arm.
"Your majesty!" Evil Sally saluted -- and lost control. She dropped the last foot and landed on her rear with a bump. "Oww..."
"Sorry!" the Princess said, rushing over to her. "I didn't mean to interrupt anything. Are you alright?"
"Takes more that that to put me out of comission," she said, taking Tails's quicky-outstretched hand and pulling to her feet. "Thanks, Tails."
"No problem."
"Good," Princess Sally said, pulling out her clipboard. "I just came down to see how things were going with training. What kind of progress has she made, how much is left to go. That sort of thing. I normally would've sent someone, but I'm too curious." She smiled a bit after that last phrase.
"Our protige has made remarkeable progress," Callista spoke up. "In the past month, she has mastered fire, wind, and lightning manipulation, basic telepathy and telekinesis, and levitation -- as you observed."
"Yes, I certainly did," she said, writing all this down on her clipboard. "Certainly sounds like things are going smoothly between the four of you."
"It's her natural ability," Bane added. "She's going to be stronger than all of us when her training is finished."
"What are you guys buttering me up for?" Evil Sally said with a sly smile.
"I wasn't aware speaking the truth was 'buttering up'," Callista replied. "You are the strongest practitioner of the dark arts I have ever come across, including our own Kanesku."
"You're making me blush," she said, hiding her face.
"Well, all seems fine here, I guess," the Princess said, tucking the clipboard back under her arm. "Keep at it!"
"Actually, the day's training is finished," Callista said. "You may go."
"Really?" Evil Sally said, smiling broadley. "I can go early?"
"I believe I spoke clearly."
"Thanks," she said, dashing over to the shelf where her boots were waiting for her.
"She's a handful, isn't she?" Princess Sally commented to Callista.
"On some days," she replied in a whisper. "Others, she is the best student I've ever had. She is a very moody child."
"Child..." Sally had a puzzled look on her face. "You know, we shouldn't think of her like that. She is the same age as we are."
"'Tis the immaturity. The Acorn females are brought up properly, under normal circumstances. Your growth as a leader was accelerated due to the stress of war. Our dark counterpart, however, fell in with a band of hooligans, which not only stopped her growth as a young woman, but most likely even regressed her a bit."
"Sounds pretty accurate. I just hope we're rubbing off on her a bit. She needs to learn a little responsibility, a sense of right and wrong."
"I believe she is. Slowly, to be sure, but she is learning."
"Hmm." Sally noticed the way Tails was fawning over the dark squirrel as they left. "How bad do you think he has it for her?"
"Bad," Bane said as he joined them. He had been putting away Evil Sally's training robe. "I saw the look on his face earlier this week. If a girl can do that to you with one little wink, there's no hope."
"I see," Sally said smiling. Then she frowned a little. "She's trouble. I hope he knows what he's getting into."
"Your Majesty," a voice said, coming from her wristwatch. She depressed a button on it. "Go on, Damien."
"We may have to move, and soon."
All hint of a smile disappeared from Sally's face instantly. "Why, what happened?"
"I think you should come to the briefing room immediately."
Sally looked up at Bane and Callista, then replied, "On our way. Please contact the others."
"Will do. Out."
With that, she motioned to them, and they quickly left the training room and turned down the hall.
Sally wondered aloud, "What now?"
¤¤§¤¤
the end
(chapter 8... 'tis
a certainty)