*The Adventures of Haley the Foxhog: Return To Mobius
By: Kathryn Ismall
************ LEGAL STUFF: All "Sonic The Hedgehog" characters and related indicia (c) and TM Sega and Archie. All used without permission.
Haley and all additional characters are (c) N. Kipphut and are not to be used in anything other than this story or its sequels.
This document may be freely distributed, so long as it's not altered in any way or used for profit making purposes.
************ AUTHORS NOTES:
BACKGROUND INFORMATION: This is based on a story I wrote a long time ago when I was in fifth grade after watching the old cartoon "The Adventures of Sonic The Hedgehog." Since the minor details and some characters are very fuzzy to me and since I don't get Toon Disney, you will only be exposed to a few of the characters. This is also based on a dream I had from which I had originally written the story. It also has some connections to the Archie comics. But before you read this one and get all confused, read the first story.
WARNING: This story does contain language and violence, so it is rated PG- 13.
:: :: Indicates a thought
Before you get really confused while reading this, this story switches between Haley and Tails, and Zoë the feline. The parts where there are 3 asterisks (*) are the parts where there is a scene and/or character change.
READ "THE ADVENTURES OF HALEY THE FOXHOG" FIRST!!!!
************
One night as I was getting ready for bed, I heard a sharp knock on my door. I shrugged it off at first, but then it came again, more urgent. I sighed and threw my nightshirt over my head.
"I got it Mom!" I called as I went down the stairs.
"Who could be at the door at this time of night?" I heard my dad grumble from my parent's room.
I opened the front door, my intentions to tell the person to go away. But the sight before me changed my mind.
Before me stood a rather short man with blue dreadlocks in his hair. He wore no shirt, and his bare chest was sprinkled with blood from the cuts and bruises. His pants were ripped and blood-soaked, and he was barely holding himself up.
"Haley, we need you now," he whispered hoarsely.
"Who are you?" I said softly. He had something familiar about him, and I just couldn't figure out what it was.
"Sweetheart, who is it?" Mom called from her bedroom.
The man got more urgent. He took a step forward, almost falling. "Haley, Robotnik's back and he's captured Tails!" he said, his voice rising with each word. "We need you NOW!"
"Sonic?" I said softly. "What happened? HOW did this happen?"
He didn't reply. Instead, he collapsed, and I could feel the strength leaving him.
I heard my mom gasp behind me. I turned and saw her reach for the phone.
"No!" I snapped sharply and she hesitated.
"Sweetheart, he obviously needs to go to the hospital," she said in her motherly tone-of-voice.
"No!" I snapped again. "Just trust me, okay? Help me get him out to the hammock!"
She was silent for a moment and then nodded. Together, we carried him to the hammock in the backyard and went back in to get some cloth and things to dress his wounds. My father came outside and made all of the fatherly inquiries as to who he was and why did I have anything to with punks like him? Of course I couldn't tell him that this punk wasn't even human, but none other than Sonic the Hedgehog from the future and a planet called Mobius.
After about an hour or so, my parents went back inside, my dad grumbling things at my mom about permitting me to stay outside with him. Sonic had started tossing and turning about with nightmares, and they were getting pretty freaked out about it. After they left I put a cool hand on his face and he calmed down a bit.
I dozed off after a while. I felt Sonic was awake when he tried to get out of the hammock and nearly knocked me out of my chair when he managed to make it swing back and forth.
"Good morning," I said, holding him still. "How are you feeling?"
"Feels like someone dumped a huge ass boulder on me, but otherwise I'm fine," he replied. "Where am I?"
"You're in the hammock in my backyard. I wasn't sure what to do and I thought that you'd be more comfortable here. My mom wanted to call an ambulance but I couldn't because if they drew your blood they'd know you weren't human and then we'd be in one hell of a sticky situation and I have no idea what I would have said to the doctors," I explained, very quickly.
"Haley, you're babbling," Sonic said flatly.
"Yes, I know," I said meekly. "What happened? How'd you get here?"
"Well, after you left, Mobius benefited from Robuttnik's exile. For about two years Knothole prospered and Robotropolis was abandoned. We tried re- building it, but there was way too much stuff to fix. King Acorn was restored to power and he permitted Sally and me to get engaged," he explained.
"Wow, congrats Sonic," I whispered. "I wish Tails and I."
"Let me finish!" he said angrily and I shut my mouth. "While he was in exile he gathered firepower and came back with a vengeance. He found and attacked Knothole and killed King Acorn, making Sally the Queen. She led many battles against Buttnik's army of SWATbots. He captured Tails when we tried to infiltrate his base in Robotropolis. We don't even know if he's still alive. Haley, we need you NOW."
I put my head in my hands. My Tails had been captured, and it was obvious that Robotnik was using him as bait to lure me back to Mobius. I needed to go to Tails, but my parents might never see me again. It wasn't going to be easy in the least.
Sonic reached over and placed a hand on my shoulder. "Haley, what's wrong?"
I shook my head to get rid of the tears that had sprung into my eyes. "Nothing, don't worry about it."
"It's not nothing," he persisted and then smirked. "What's wrong?"
"We have to leave soon," I replied, dodging the subject. "I'm going to go grab some things and then we can go, okay?"
I went inside and got a pen and a piece of paper.
"Dear Mom and Dad,
This is going to be so hard to explain to you both. I have to leave now. I can't tell you why, I can't tell you how or where I'm going. I can only tell you that I might not come back but if I do I will bring you to my new home. Don't send out a search party for me; you won't find me anywhere. If I don't come back, then I will either be dead or not able to come back. But I want you to know that I love you both very much and that I don't want you to worry about me okay?
Love, Haley"
I left it on the table and went up to my room to get the pendant that Tails had made me before I'd left Mobius. I touched it, and it glowed with a yellow light, and it seemed brighter than I remembered it. I sighed and slipped it over my head. Then I walked out the door, not looking back at my house, just in case I changed my mind.
I walked out to Sonic and saw that he was standing. He was a little wobbly and he was using the tree for support.
I sighed. "What are you doing out of the hammock?"
"I thought I'd get ready. We need to leave now," he replied and bent over to pull something out of his shoe. Then he got dizzy and fell over.
"You okay?" I said, and helped him back up.
"I'm fiiiiiiiine," he said impatiently and handed me a small computer. "You talk to Nicole for now."
"Okay, I will," I replied and looked at the computer. "Hello Nicole. Long time no see."
HELLO AGAIN, HALEY, she said. ARE YOU READY TO BE TRANSPORTED?
"As ready as I'll ever be," I replied, and fingered my necklace a bit nervously.
SONIC, ARE YOU READY?
"Just get ON with it already, Nicole!" he snapped.
TRANSPORTING IN 3. 2. 1.
I was sucked off the ground and into a portal. Instantly my body was wracked with pain as my bones changed and stretched and shifted. My spines grew out of my back and my back elongated and split into two tails. I grew smaller, and blue quills and tan and blue fur grew. I was dimly aware of Sonic beside me, who seemed to be unconscious. Before I knew it I hit the ground, followed by a dull thud beside me as Sonic landed.
TRANSPORTATION COMPLETE, came Nicole's muffled voice.
"Thank you Nicole," I said, getting up and brushing the dirt off of my blue dress, which I had on instead of my nightshirt and sweatpants. It was pitch- black out, but I found her under a pile of leaves.
THAT WAS A BIT UNEXPECTED. ARE YOU ALL RIGHT?
"I'm fine," I replied. "Where's Sonic?"
HE'S OVER IN THE TREES. IN FACT, HE MAY BE UP A TREE.
"Well, that's helpful! How am I supposed to fly up there and get him if I can't see?" I snapped. "Couldn't you have planned the landing a little better?"
She gave me a little jolt of electricity that made me jump and I almost dropped her.
NEXT TIME YOU DO THE TRANSPORTING!
"Okay, I got your point," I grumbled. "Sorry Nicole."
APOLOGY ACCEPTED. NOW, LET'S FIND SONIC SO WE CAN GET BACK TO SALLY. THE FREEDOM FIGHTER BASE IS ONLY A FEW MILES AWAY.
"Can you give me a light?" I said and a little light came out of her side. At first I thought it wouldn't light up much but then it came on and lit the area around me.
"Wow, thanks Nicole," I said, surprised.
I CAN'T KEEP THIS ON FOR VERY LONG. FIND SONIC!
I twirled my tails like helicopter blades and rose into the air. I looked around in the trees for a couple of minutes, but he wasn't there. I landed and just as Nicole's light started to dim, I saw Sonic's white glove sticking out of a bush.
I walked over to him and checked his pulse. It was okay, but his breathing was irregular. Nicole's light shut off.
SONIC NEEDS MEDICAL ATTENTION IMMEDIATELY.
"I know that Nicole," I said, untangling him from the branches and picking him up. I twirled my two tails like helicopter blades and flew up into the air.
BE CAREFUL. THE FREEDOM FIGHTERS ARE WARY OF ROBOTNIK'S SPIES AND MAY TRY TO SHOOT YOU DOWN.
"Where are they located?"
TURN LEFT HERE. I WILL GUIDE YOU AS MUCH AS I CAN.
It was silent for a few moments, except for the few times when she told me to change direction. Sonic stayed out cold for the ride.
BAM BAM! Two bullets went past me. They were trying to shoot me down, just as Nicole had predicted.
"Now, ya'll can come down on yer own or we can shoot ya down!" yelled a familiar Southern drawl.
"I'm coming down!" I yelled. "Just don't shoot me Bunnie!"
"Who ees zat?" I heard someone with a French accent ask her.
"Ah don't know Antoine," she replied.
"Wanna shine a light this way?" I said, exasperated. "I can't see where I'm flying and I don't think Sonic here wants to hit a tree."
Bunnie shined a floodlight on me and gasped. "It's Haley! Mah stars, she's come back!"
I landed and she ran over to us. "What happened to the sugah hog?" she cried out.
"He ees having the hurting very badly, non?" said Antoine.
"Oui," I replied, a bit more harshly than I'd intended. "Go get the Doctor and Sally!"
He turned and ran. I sighed and sat down, Sonic still in my arms. He stirred a bit and looked up. He tried to jump out of my grip and only succeeded in being sufficiently held in place.
"This sooooo won't look right," he moaned, his voice raspy.
I laughed. "Honestly, I think that should be the least of your worries right now."
"Sugah hog, what happened?" asked Bunnie, crouching.
He shook his head. "I'll tell you later," he replied.
"Oh my God, Sonic!" I heard someone yell and I looked up. Former princess Sally Acorn ran towards us, with Dr. Quack in tow.
"What happened to Sonic?" she demanded, not even looking up at me, and probably not realizing who I was, being concerned for Sonic.
"I have no idea," I replied and handed her to him.
"Hey Sal," he said quietly.
"Shhhhh," she said and kissed him. The sight brought an ache in my heart and I stood up.
"I thank you for..." she said and looked up at me. Her eyes widened and she gasped. "Haley!"
I nodded. "Hello your highness."
Dr. Quack examined me first. He pointed at a bloodstain on my dress. "What'd you do?"
"I didn't," I replied. "It's Sonic's."
"Well, go get some rest," he replied. "You look about ready to fall over."
"But..." I started to protest.
"No 'buts' Haley! Get some sleep!" he snapped.
"Ah'll take ya Haley," said Bunnie.
We went through the door and walked down the hall. I was dimly aware of the people around us as we walked through. I almost fooled myself into believing that one of them was Tails but I snapped myself back to reality with a mental slap.
Soon we stopped in front of a room and Bunnie opened the door for me. She gave me a quick tour and then left. I went straight to the bed, curled up under the covers and fell asleep.
* * *
Someone knocked at the door and I grumbled a bit.
"Haley, are you awake in there?" called Sally's voice from behind the door.
I groaned. "I am now."
"Can I come in?"
"Yeah, sure." I sat up and rubbed the sleep from my eyes.
She opened the door and walked in. "I never got to thank you for bringing Sonic back in one piece," she said. "And I didn't realize he was going to call on your help so early. We didn't think we needed you yet."
"And then you ran into a bit of trouble in Robotropolis," I said flatly.
She nodded. "Haley, you saved us once, you can save us again," she said softly. "You're our heroine."
"If I'm such a heroine, then why did Sir York have to die?" I said, tears of self-pity springing to my eyes, something I had been repressing since the last time I was there. "Why couldn't I stop Robotnik completely?"
"Haley, it wasn't your fault he died," she said quietly. "But we need to be optimistic here."
I nodded and mentally slapped myself back to reality.
"I want Tails back safe and sound, and you're the only one I know that can do it," she said, and my spirits rose a little bit.
"All right, let's go," I said and got up. We headed for the door when she stopped me.
"First, change your dress," she said, indicating the bloodstain.
"Into what? I have no other clothes," I replied and she indicated the closet. Inside was another dress identical to mine.
"I'll make more when I can," she said. "But we weren't sure if you were coming back."
"Despite the feline's prophecy?" I replied and ducked into the bathroom and changed quickly.
"I believe in facts, not beliefs," she said as I walked back out. "Let's go."
We walked out and down the hallway. Unlike the night before, this place seemed to be an old temple of sorts.
She stopped in front of a particularly large door and pushed it open. Inside was a huge room, with a skylight that let the sunlight illuminate the room with a bright glow. There were stone benches that started from a huge podium in the front of the room to the back on both sides with an aisle down the center. The benches were filled with people who all turned to look at us when the door opened.
As we walked to the front, a bruised and battered Sonic rose to his feet and began applauding. Soon, everyone else had followed suit and was cheering and clapping. My cheeks were very warm when we reached the podium.
Sally silenced everyone with a quick motion of her hand. As soon as everyone had sat down, she addressed them all.
"As you all know, Haley the Foxhog left us not long after freeing us from Robotnik's tyranny. The felines left us with nothing more than the prophecy that she would come again," she said. "Now, Robotnik has returned with a stronger army, attacked out peaceful home once again, and captured Tails. But, just when we needed help, she appeared! Once again we have hope!"
Sally put a hand on my shoulder when the crowd erupted into cheers again. She leaned over and whispered in my ear.
"Your turn," she told me. "Make it count."
I sighed and nodded. As the sound in the room died down, I pondered what I was going to say to these people. When it was silent, I walked down the aisle, looking at the faces of the people as I passed them.
"Your people have been through plenty of pain and suffering. Family members taken away to be slaves for Robotnik or experimented on," I began, "and now he was taken an important member of the resistance away!"
The people murmured back and forth to each other, and I put more vigor in my speech. "I saved you all once for Robotnik, and it was my fault that he came back. I will go to Robotropolis and I will bring Tails back! Together, we can all work together to free Mobius!" I said as I walked back up to the front, shouting the last sentence.
"TO A FREE MOBIUS!" roared the people, and the room was filled with noise as they shouted and cheered and stomped.
Sally smiled when I turned to look at her. I stood between Sonic and Queen Sally Acorn and once again I felt as if I were home.
* * *
When the crowd left, I told Sally and Sonic I needed some time alone, and that I needed to go to Knothole.
"You can't go back there alone! It's too dangerous!" Sonic protested, his tone much more serious than usual. "Buttnik's set a lot of traps in there so we couldn't get back in."
"Sonic, I promised him I'd go back," I said softly. "I can't break my promise to Sir York."
Sally sighed. "Go, but if you're not back by nightfall we'll come looking."
I hugged her and left. As soon as I got outside I took to the skies, and headed for Knothole. It didn't take me long to find the entrance, and I was slightly puzzled by Sonic's warning but cautious just the same.
I went in and I looked at the devastation around me. Skeletons littered the ground. Most of the huts had been blown apart. The one where I had once stayed with Sally and Bunnie was lying in pieces on the ground. I looked to where Sonic and Tails's hut had been. One of the sidewalls had collapsed inward and completely covered the inside with debris.
I walked over towards it. About halfway there I stepped on an upraised part of the ground. Before I knew it, a robotic hand appeared from the dirt and grabbed my foot. I screamed and yanked it free. Soon alarms were blaring and bots began appearing out of nowhere.
Chapter 2
A bot grabbed my arm from behind. In a thick metallic voice it reported that it had captured an intruder.
"Good, bring them here," replied a deeper voice, coming from the person I hated the most.
"I don't think so Robotnik!" I yelled and yanked my arm free from the bot's grasp.
He gasped. "CAPTURE HER AT ALL COSTS! I WANT HER BACK ALIVE!" I heard him scream.
"Catch me if you can you fat bastard!" I cried and jumped into the air. I twirled my two tails like helicopter blades and flew circles around the bots.
Some of the bots ran into each other with such a force that they broke apart. One I jumped on with such a might from my speed I crushed it like a pop can. I kept going until eventually all the bots lay in a heap of debris in the middle of the village.
"That was for Knothole!" I said and kicked the pile.
I laughed at the debris and launched myself right back up into the air. There were SpyEyes that I destroyed by jumping on them and I found my way out of Knothole and into the meadow I was searching for.
The grass was overgrown and the ground was littered with metal chunks, so I plodded carefully through as to not step on anything and tear my shoes. I finally made my way to a rock that had fallen over. Using all of my strength I stood the rock back up, showing that it wasn't really a rock at all; it was a gravestone.
After twenty long minutes of pushing and pulling, I finally got it up and straight again. I sat down in front and sat on something hard and painful. I picked it up and tears instantly came to my eyes. It was the likeness of Sir York that I'd had Rotor the Walrus carve for me just years before. I cleared a little circle in front of the gravestone and placed the likeness on it.
"Well, I'm back, like I promised I would be," I said softly, tears coming to my eyes. "It took a while longer than I thought it was going to, but I'm here."
A breeze blew by me, and the tear that snuck from my eye was dried. "I just wish I could have saved you," I whispered, and ran my fingers along the epitaph on the gravestone. "Sir Alfred York, an enemy turned friend that gave his life to save others and helped end Robotnik's siege. May he rest in peace."
I said my good-byes and got up. As I stood I heard a click and when I turned I was face-to-face with the barrel of a laser pistol, held by a very short person with a bulbous head.
"Don't make me shoot you," Snively said, his hands shaking with obvious fear. "Because I will and I don't care what Robotnik does to me."
"You know, Needlenose, you really have to learn how to negotiate nicely rather than sticking a gun barrel in my face every time we meet," I said, crossing my arms in a nonchalant manner, and could see the nervousness on his face.
"But that would defeat the purpose of overpowering your furry ass," he replied, his nasal voice finally starting to grind my nerves and I took a step forward.
"Look, Sniv, I seriously don't need your bull shit right now and if you think that I am coming with you voluntarily this time you have a serious mental block in that light-bulb head of yours," I snarled.
"Not a problem," he replied. He switched the gun to STUN and pulled the trigger before I could blink. * * *
I tensed as I heard guards moving down the hallway. I had a wrenching feeling in my gut that Robotnik decided to change my torture time from tomorrow to today. He had recently been known to do that, and I shrunk into the corner of my cell, hoping the guards would pass by.
When the door opened, I got a huge knot it my stomach. I closed my eyes, preparing for the struggle, but it never came. I opened one eye to see that they had brought in a figure into the shadows, and propped whoever it was into the corner, slapping their wrists in the shackles on the wall. They grumbled and walked out, slamming the door shut behind them.
The shadows had deepened again when the door had closed, so now the other person in the cell with me was completely obscured by the darkness. I crawled over as far as I could with my chains around my wrists.
"Hey, are you okay?" I said, my voice hoarse from days of malnourishment and screams from the torture sessions with Robotnik.
They stirred a bit and from the way they raised their hand to their head, I realized it was a she.
"Yeah, I'm fine," a familiar voice said, features still obscured by the gloom. "Damn that Needlenose, he's gonna get it this time."
My heartbeat quickened. That voice. I knew that voice!
"It is you! The young foxhog!" I cried and nearly jumped for joy.
"No, it's the other one. Who'd you think it was?" she snapped, and I was instantly confused.
"But. The legends say there is no other." I whispered and she laughed.
"Sarcasm, dear, is a useful tool," she replied. "Hey, don't I know you from somewhere?"
"You don't recognize me?" I said, shocked. "It is I, Lieutenant Zoë of the felines!"
She pulled herself from the shadows and dragged me into the light. She saw what I had seen for weeks: My once lovely black fur was all matted and filthy from blood and sweat and the filth of the cell, now no longer entirely black; my uniform torn to almost nothing, but the only reason I had been wearing it was for modesty's sake; my left eye swollen from a recent beating by the guards; and my right arm scarred and torn from a failed attempt to escape.
Her voice was tight and angry. "How could he do this to you?" she demanded. "How could he do this to anyone?"
"I wish I knew," I whispered. I heard footsteps. "Shhhh. The guards are coming!"
Sure enough as I had said it, a guard peeked in the door.
"The foxhog and the feline are to be taken to Dr. Robotnik's laboratory," I heard the small one with the pointed nose tell the guard. "Don't hurt the feline this time, at least not too badly."
AFFIRMATIVE, the bot said in its metallic voice and the door opened. The foxhog glared at the robot furiously. The cold metal of the robot showed no indication that it either noticed or cared that Haley the Foxhog wanted to rip it apart, metal limb from limb. It removed her from the chains and walked down the hallway.
Another robot entered and removed the shackles from my wrists and ankles and before I had time to rub the feeling back in them, I was hauled to my feet and pushed after the other robot.
I stumbled a bit, but quickly regained my balance. I kept my expression calm and cool, and observed the behavior of the foxhog. She seemed to be showing her anger outwardly, but I didn't think it was to the degree of what I could tell she was feeling inside.
We were marched to Dr. Robotnik's laboratory and she was horror struck as to what we saw.
* * *
I was pissed. First Snively had shot me with this gun before I could react, and now we saw the full horror of his new terror.
Floating in a tube of liquid, with part of his head and one of his arms roboticized, was Tails! He was unconscious, but he looked eerie floating in the pale yellow liquid.
"ROBOTNIK!" I roared and charged at him full force. One of the guards swiftly grabbed at my arm and yanked me backwards. "WHAT HAVE YOU DONE TO TAILS?!"
His laughter boomed from behind a huge chair that had our back to us. "You dumb idiot. I had to do this in order to lure you back. That way I could finally finish you off once and for all. You turned out worse than the damn hedgehog."
"You didn't have to do anything, you fat pig," I said angrily. "You hurt Zoë and partially roboticized Tails! How many more, Robotnik?"
"As many as it would have taken to lure you back," he said, and turned his chair around. My stomach lurched at what sat before me.
Once a pale pasty white, his face now was a dull shade of green with boils covering half of his face. This once monstrous belly had gotten bigger, which I hadn't thought possible. His once ridiculous red and yellow outfit had been replaced by black, including a cape with a glittering green logo of a robot. His robotic arm had been removed completely, but the other was thickly covered with boils and green skin.
"Surprised are you?" he smirked. "Snively and I had a little incident in space with a few extra terrestrials. Snively managed to escape from their clutches but I had not." He got up and waddled over to me, and got down close to my face. "All because of you. And I completely intend on taking it all out on you, Tails, and the feline."
I spit in his face. "You are slime, Robotnik, and you will pay."
"Oh ho, I think not young Haley," he said, and then waved his hand at the tube. "Because if you try to hurt me, Tails will die."
* * *
By: Kathryn Ismall
************ LEGAL STUFF: All "Sonic The Hedgehog" characters and related indicia (c) and TM Sega and Archie. All used without permission.
Haley and all additional characters are (c) N. Kipphut and are not to be used in anything other than this story or its sequels.
This document may be freely distributed, so long as it's not altered in any way or used for profit making purposes.
************ AUTHORS NOTES:
BACKGROUND INFORMATION: This is based on a story I wrote a long time ago when I was in fifth grade after watching the old cartoon "The Adventures of Sonic The Hedgehog." Since the minor details and some characters are very fuzzy to me and since I don't get Toon Disney, you will only be exposed to a few of the characters. This is also based on a dream I had from which I had originally written the story. It also has some connections to the Archie comics. But before you read this one and get all confused, read the first story.
WARNING: This story does contain language and violence, so it is rated PG- 13.
:: :: Indicates a thought
Before you get really confused while reading this, this story switches between Haley and Tails, and Zoë the feline. The parts where there are 3 asterisks (*) are the parts where there is a scene and/or character change.
READ "THE ADVENTURES OF HALEY THE FOXHOG" FIRST!!!!
************
One night as I was getting ready for bed, I heard a sharp knock on my door. I shrugged it off at first, but then it came again, more urgent. I sighed and threw my nightshirt over my head.
"I got it Mom!" I called as I went down the stairs.
"Who could be at the door at this time of night?" I heard my dad grumble from my parent's room.
I opened the front door, my intentions to tell the person to go away. But the sight before me changed my mind.
Before me stood a rather short man with blue dreadlocks in his hair. He wore no shirt, and his bare chest was sprinkled with blood from the cuts and bruises. His pants were ripped and blood-soaked, and he was barely holding himself up.
"Haley, we need you now," he whispered hoarsely.
"Who are you?" I said softly. He had something familiar about him, and I just couldn't figure out what it was.
"Sweetheart, who is it?" Mom called from her bedroom.
The man got more urgent. He took a step forward, almost falling. "Haley, Robotnik's back and he's captured Tails!" he said, his voice rising with each word. "We need you NOW!"
"Sonic?" I said softly. "What happened? HOW did this happen?"
He didn't reply. Instead, he collapsed, and I could feel the strength leaving him.
I heard my mom gasp behind me. I turned and saw her reach for the phone.
"No!" I snapped sharply and she hesitated.
"Sweetheart, he obviously needs to go to the hospital," she said in her motherly tone-of-voice.
"No!" I snapped again. "Just trust me, okay? Help me get him out to the hammock!"
She was silent for a moment and then nodded. Together, we carried him to the hammock in the backyard and went back in to get some cloth and things to dress his wounds. My father came outside and made all of the fatherly inquiries as to who he was and why did I have anything to with punks like him? Of course I couldn't tell him that this punk wasn't even human, but none other than Sonic the Hedgehog from the future and a planet called Mobius.
After about an hour or so, my parents went back inside, my dad grumbling things at my mom about permitting me to stay outside with him. Sonic had started tossing and turning about with nightmares, and they were getting pretty freaked out about it. After they left I put a cool hand on his face and he calmed down a bit.
I dozed off after a while. I felt Sonic was awake when he tried to get out of the hammock and nearly knocked me out of my chair when he managed to make it swing back and forth.
"Good morning," I said, holding him still. "How are you feeling?"
"Feels like someone dumped a huge ass boulder on me, but otherwise I'm fine," he replied. "Where am I?"
"You're in the hammock in my backyard. I wasn't sure what to do and I thought that you'd be more comfortable here. My mom wanted to call an ambulance but I couldn't because if they drew your blood they'd know you weren't human and then we'd be in one hell of a sticky situation and I have no idea what I would have said to the doctors," I explained, very quickly.
"Haley, you're babbling," Sonic said flatly.
"Yes, I know," I said meekly. "What happened? How'd you get here?"
"Well, after you left, Mobius benefited from Robuttnik's exile. For about two years Knothole prospered and Robotropolis was abandoned. We tried re- building it, but there was way too much stuff to fix. King Acorn was restored to power and he permitted Sally and me to get engaged," he explained.
"Wow, congrats Sonic," I whispered. "I wish Tails and I."
"Let me finish!" he said angrily and I shut my mouth. "While he was in exile he gathered firepower and came back with a vengeance. He found and attacked Knothole and killed King Acorn, making Sally the Queen. She led many battles against Buttnik's army of SWATbots. He captured Tails when we tried to infiltrate his base in Robotropolis. We don't even know if he's still alive. Haley, we need you NOW."
I put my head in my hands. My Tails had been captured, and it was obvious that Robotnik was using him as bait to lure me back to Mobius. I needed to go to Tails, but my parents might never see me again. It wasn't going to be easy in the least.
Sonic reached over and placed a hand on my shoulder. "Haley, what's wrong?"
I shook my head to get rid of the tears that had sprung into my eyes. "Nothing, don't worry about it."
"It's not nothing," he persisted and then smirked. "What's wrong?"
"We have to leave soon," I replied, dodging the subject. "I'm going to go grab some things and then we can go, okay?"
I went inside and got a pen and a piece of paper.
"Dear Mom and Dad,
This is going to be so hard to explain to you both. I have to leave now. I can't tell you why, I can't tell you how or where I'm going. I can only tell you that I might not come back but if I do I will bring you to my new home. Don't send out a search party for me; you won't find me anywhere. If I don't come back, then I will either be dead or not able to come back. But I want you to know that I love you both very much and that I don't want you to worry about me okay?
Love, Haley"
I left it on the table and went up to my room to get the pendant that Tails had made me before I'd left Mobius. I touched it, and it glowed with a yellow light, and it seemed brighter than I remembered it. I sighed and slipped it over my head. Then I walked out the door, not looking back at my house, just in case I changed my mind.
I walked out to Sonic and saw that he was standing. He was a little wobbly and he was using the tree for support.
I sighed. "What are you doing out of the hammock?"
"I thought I'd get ready. We need to leave now," he replied and bent over to pull something out of his shoe. Then he got dizzy and fell over.
"You okay?" I said, and helped him back up.
"I'm fiiiiiiiine," he said impatiently and handed me a small computer. "You talk to Nicole for now."
"Okay, I will," I replied and looked at the computer. "Hello Nicole. Long time no see."
HELLO AGAIN, HALEY, she said. ARE YOU READY TO BE TRANSPORTED?
"As ready as I'll ever be," I replied, and fingered my necklace a bit nervously.
SONIC, ARE YOU READY?
"Just get ON with it already, Nicole!" he snapped.
TRANSPORTING IN 3. 2. 1.
I was sucked off the ground and into a portal. Instantly my body was wracked with pain as my bones changed and stretched and shifted. My spines grew out of my back and my back elongated and split into two tails. I grew smaller, and blue quills and tan and blue fur grew. I was dimly aware of Sonic beside me, who seemed to be unconscious. Before I knew it I hit the ground, followed by a dull thud beside me as Sonic landed.
TRANSPORTATION COMPLETE, came Nicole's muffled voice.
"Thank you Nicole," I said, getting up and brushing the dirt off of my blue dress, which I had on instead of my nightshirt and sweatpants. It was pitch- black out, but I found her under a pile of leaves.
THAT WAS A BIT UNEXPECTED. ARE YOU ALL RIGHT?
"I'm fine," I replied. "Where's Sonic?"
HE'S OVER IN THE TREES. IN FACT, HE MAY BE UP A TREE.
"Well, that's helpful! How am I supposed to fly up there and get him if I can't see?" I snapped. "Couldn't you have planned the landing a little better?"
She gave me a little jolt of electricity that made me jump and I almost dropped her.
NEXT TIME YOU DO THE TRANSPORTING!
"Okay, I got your point," I grumbled. "Sorry Nicole."
APOLOGY ACCEPTED. NOW, LET'S FIND SONIC SO WE CAN GET BACK TO SALLY. THE FREEDOM FIGHTER BASE IS ONLY A FEW MILES AWAY.
"Can you give me a light?" I said and a little light came out of her side. At first I thought it wouldn't light up much but then it came on and lit the area around me.
"Wow, thanks Nicole," I said, surprised.
I CAN'T KEEP THIS ON FOR VERY LONG. FIND SONIC!
I twirled my tails like helicopter blades and rose into the air. I looked around in the trees for a couple of minutes, but he wasn't there. I landed and just as Nicole's light started to dim, I saw Sonic's white glove sticking out of a bush.
I walked over to him and checked his pulse. It was okay, but his breathing was irregular. Nicole's light shut off.
SONIC NEEDS MEDICAL ATTENTION IMMEDIATELY.
"I know that Nicole," I said, untangling him from the branches and picking him up. I twirled my two tails like helicopter blades and flew up into the air.
BE CAREFUL. THE FREEDOM FIGHTERS ARE WARY OF ROBOTNIK'S SPIES AND MAY TRY TO SHOOT YOU DOWN.
"Where are they located?"
TURN LEFT HERE. I WILL GUIDE YOU AS MUCH AS I CAN.
It was silent for a few moments, except for the few times when she told me to change direction. Sonic stayed out cold for the ride.
BAM BAM! Two bullets went past me. They were trying to shoot me down, just as Nicole had predicted.
"Now, ya'll can come down on yer own or we can shoot ya down!" yelled a familiar Southern drawl.
"I'm coming down!" I yelled. "Just don't shoot me Bunnie!"
"Who ees zat?" I heard someone with a French accent ask her.
"Ah don't know Antoine," she replied.
"Wanna shine a light this way?" I said, exasperated. "I can't see where I'm flying and I don't think Sonic here wants to hit a tree."
Bunnie shined a floodlight on me and gasped. "It's Haley! Mah stars, she's come back!"
I landed and she ran over to us. "What happened to the sugah hog?" she cried out.
"He ees having the hurting very badly, non?" said Antoine.
"Oui," I replied, a bit more harshly than I'd intended. "Go get the Doctor and Sally!"
He turned and ran. I sighed and sat down, Sonic still in my arms. He stirred a bit and looked up. He tried to jump out of my grip and only succeeded in being sufficiently held in place.
"This sooooo won't look right," he moaned, his voice raspy.
I laughed. "Honestly, I think that should be the least of your worries right now."
"Sugah hog, what happened?" asked Bunnie, crouching.
He shook his head. "I'll tell you later," he replied.
"Oh my God, Sonic!" I heard someone yell and I looked up. Former princess Sally Acorn ran towards us, with Dr. Quack in tow.
"What happened to Sonic?" she demanded, not even looking up at me, and probably not realizing who I was, being concerned for Sonic.
"I have no idea," I replied and handed her to him.
"Hey Sal," he said quietly.
"Shhhhh," she said and kissed him. The sight brought an ache in my heart and I stood up.
"I thank you for..." she said and looked up at me. Her eyes widened and she gasped. "Haley!"
I nodded. "Hello your highness."
Dr. Quack examined me first. He pointed at a bloodstain on my dress. "What'd you do?"
"I didn't," I replied. "It's Sonic's."
"Well, go get some rest," he replied. "You look about ready to fall over."
"But..." I started to protest.
"No 'buts' Haley! Get some sleep!" he snapped.
"Ah'll take ya Haley," said Bunnie.
We went through the door and walked down the hall. I was dimly aware of the people around us as we walked through. I almost fooled myself into believing that one of them was Tails but I snapped myself back to reality with a mental slap.
Soon we stopped in front of a room and Bunnie opened the door for me. She gave me a quick tour and then left. I went straight to the bed, curled up under the covers and fell asleep.
* * *
Someone knocked at the door and I grumbled a bit.
"Haley, are you awake in there?" called Sally's voice from behind the door.
I groaned. "I am now."
"Can I come in?"
"Yeah, sure." I sat up and rubbed the sleep from my eyes.
She opened the door and walked in. "I never got to thank you for bringing Sonic back in one piece," she said. "And I didn't realize he was going to call on your help so early. We didn't think we needed you yet."
"And then you ran into a bit of trouble in Robotropolis," I said flatly.
She nodded. "Haley, you saved us once, you can save us again," she said softly. "You're our heroine."
"If I'm such a heroine, then why did Sir York have to die?" I said, tears of self-pity springing to my eyes, something I had been repressing since the last time I was there. "Why couldn't I stop Robotnik completely?"
"Haley, it wasn't your fault he died," she said quietly. "But we need to be optimistic here."
I nodded and mentally slapped myself back to reality.
"I want Tails back safe and sound, and you're the only one I know that can do it," she said, and my spirits rose a little bit.
"All right, let's go," I said and got up. We headed for the door when she stopped me.
"First, change your dress," she said, indicating the bloodstain.
"Into what? I have no other clothes," I replied and she indicated the closet. Inside was another dress identical to mine.
"I'll make more when I can," she said. "But we weren't sure if you were coming back."
"Despite the feline's prophecy?" I replied and ducked into the bathroom and changed quickly.
"I believe in facts, not beliefs," she said as I walked back out. "Let's go."
We walked out and down the hallway. Unlike the night before, this place seemed to be an old temple of sorts.
She stopped in front of a particularly large door and pushed it open. Inside was a huge room, with a skylight that let the sunlight illuminate the room with a bright glow. There were stone benches that started from a huge podium in the front of the room to the back on both sides with an aisle down the center. The benches were filled with people who all turned to look at us when the door opened.
As we walked to the front, a bruised and battered Sonic rose to his feet and began applauding. Soon, everyone else had followed suit and was cheering and clapping. My cheeks were very warm when we reached the podium.
Sally silenced everyone with a quick motion of her hand. As soon as everyone had sat down, she addressed them all.
"As you all know, Haley the Foxhog left us not long after freeing us from Robotnik's tyranny. The felines left us with nothing more than the prophecy that she would come again," she said. "Now, Robotnik has returned with a stronger army, attacked out peaceful home once again, and captured Tails. But, just when we needed help, she appeared! Once again we have hope!"
Sally put a hand on my shoulder when the crowd erupted into cheers again. She leaned over and whispered in my ear.
"Your turn," she told me. "Make it count."
I sighed and nodded. As the sound in the room died down, I pondered what I was going to say to these people. When it was silent, I walked down the aisle, looking at the faces of the people as I passed them.
"Your people have been through plenty of pain and suffering. Family members taken away to be slaves for Robotnik or experimented on," I began, "and now he was taken an important member of the resistance away!"
The people murmured back and forth to each other, and I put more vigor in my speech. "I saved you all once for Robotnik, and it was my fault that he came back. I will go to Robotropolis and I will bring Tails back! Together, we can all work together to free Mobius!" I said as I walked back up to the front, shouting the last sentence.
"TO A FREE MOBIUS!" roared the people, and the room was filled with noise as they shouted and cheered and stomped.
Sally smiled when I turned to look at her. I stood between Sonic and Queen Sally Acorn and once again I felt as if I were home.
* * *
When the crowd left, I told Sally and Sonic I needed some time alone, and that I needed to go to Knothole.
"You can't go back there alone! It's too dangerous!" Sonic protested, his tone much more serious than usual. "Buttnik's set a lot of traps in there so we couldn't get back in."
"Sonic, I promised him I'd go back," I said softly. "I can't break my promise to Sir York."
Sally sighed. "Go, but if you're not back by nightfall we'll come looking."
I hugged her and left. As soon as I got outside I took to the skies, and headed for Knothole. It didn't take me long to find the entrance, and I was slightly puzzled by Sonic's warning but cautious just the same.
I went in and I looked at the devastation around me. Skeletons littered the ground. Most of the huts had been blown apart. The one where I had once stayed with Sally and Bunnie was lying in pieces on the ground. I looked to where Sonic and Tails's hut had been. One of the sidewalls had collapsed inward and completely covered the inside with debris.
I walked over towards it. About halfway there I stepped on an upraised part of the ground. Before I knew it, a robotic hand appeared from the dirt and grabbed my foot. I screamed and yanked it free. Soon alarms were blaring and bots began appearing out of nowhere.
Chapter 2
A bot grabbed my arm from behind. In a thick metallic voice it reported that it had captured an intruder.
"Good, bring them here," replied a deeper voice, coming from the person I hated the most.
"I don't think so Robotnik!" I yelled and yanked my arm free from the bot's grasp.
He gasped. "CAPTURE HER AT ALL COSTS! I WANT HER BACK ALIVE!" I heard him scream.
"Catch me if you can you fat bastard!" I cried and jumped into the air. I twirled my two tails like helicopter blades and flew circles around the bots.
Some of the bots ran into each other with such a force that they broke apart. One I jumped on with such a might from my speed I crushed it like a pop can. I kept going until eventually all the bots lay in a heap of debris in the middle of the village.
"That was for Knothole!" I said and kicked the pile.
I laughed at the debris and launched myself right back up into the air. There were SpyEyes that I destroyed by jumping on them and I found my way out of Knothole and into the meadow I was searching for.
The grass was overgrown and the ground was littered with metal chunks, so I plodded carefully through as to not step on anything and tear my shoes. I finally made my way to a rock that had fallen over. Using all of my strength I stood the rock back up, showing that it wasn't really a rock at all; it was a gravestone.
After twenty long minutes of pushing and pulling, I finally got it up and straight again. I sat down in front and sat on something hard and painful. I picked it up and tears instantly came to my eyes. It was the likeness of Sir York that I'd had Rotor the Walrus carve for me just years before. I cleared a little circle in front of the gravestone and placed the likeness on it.
"Well, I'm back, like I promised I would be," I said softly, tears coming to my eyes. "It took a while longer than I thought it was going to, but I'm here."
A breeze blew by me, and the tear that snuck from my eye was dried. "I just wish I could have saved you," I whispered, and ran my fingers along the epitaph on the gravestone. "Sir Alfred York, an enemy turned friend that gave his life to save others and helped end Robotnik's siege. May he rest in peace."
I said my good-byes and got up. As I stood I heard a click and when I turned I was face-to-face with the barrel of a laser pistol, held by a very short person with a bulbous head.
"Don't make me shoot you," Snively said, his hands shaking with obvious fear. "Because I will and I don't care what Robotnik does to me."
"You know, Needlenose, you really have to learn how to negotiate nicely rather than sticking a gun barrel in my face every time we meet," I said, crossing my arms in a nonchalant manner, and could see the nervousness on his face.
"But that would defeat the purpose of overpowering your furry ass," he replied, his nasal voice finally starting to grind my nerves and I took a step forward.
"Look, Sniv, I seriously don't need your bull shit right now and if you think that I am coming with you voluntarily this time you have a serious mental block in that light-bulb head of yours," I snarled.
"Not a problem," he replied. He switched the gun to STUN and pulled the trigger before I could blink. * * *
I tensed as I heard guards moving down the hallway. I had a wrenching feeling in my gut that Robotnik decided to change my torture time from tomorrow to today. He had recently been known to do that, and I shrunk into the corner of my cell, hoping the guards would pass by.
When the door opened, I got a huge knot it my stomach. I closed my eyes, preparing for the struggle, but it never came. I opened one eye to see that they had brought in a figure into the shadows, and propped whoever it was into the corner, slapping their wrists in the shackles on the wall. They grumbled and walked out, slamming the door shut behind them.
The shadows had deepened again when the door had closed, so now the other person in the cell with me was completely obscured by the darkness. I crawled over as far as I could with my chains around my wrists.
"Hey, are you okay?" I said, my voice hoarse from days of malnourishment and screams from the torture sessions with Robotnik.
They stirred a bit and from the way they raised their hand to their head, I realized it was a she.
"Yeah, I'm fine," a familiar voice said, features still obscured by the gloom. "Damn that Needlenose, he's gonna get it this time."
My heartbeat quickened. That voice. I knew that voice!
"It is you! The young foxhog!" I cried and nearly jumped for joy.
"No, it's the other one. Who'd you think it was?" she snapped, and I was instantly confused.
"But. The legends say there is no other." I whispered and she laughed.
"Sarcasm, dear, is a useful tool," she replied. "Hey, don't I know you from somewhere?"
"You don't recognize me?" I said, shocked. "It is I, Lieutenant Zoë of the felines!"
She pulled herself from the shadows and dragged me into the light. She saw what I had seen for weeks: My once lovely black fur was all matted and filthy from blood and sweat and the filth of the cell, now no longer entirely black; my uniform torn to almost nothing, but the only reason I had been wearing it was for modesty's sake; my left eye swollen from a recent beating by the guards; and my right arm scarred and torn from a failed attempt to escape.
Her voice was tight and angry. "How could he do this to you?" she demanded. "How could he do this to anyone?"
"I wish I knew," I whispered. I heard footsteps. "Shhhh. The guards are coming!"
Sure enough as I had said it, a guard peeked in the door.
"The foxhog and the feline are to be taken to Dr. Robotnik's laboratory," I heard the small one with the pointed nose tell the guard. "Don't hurt the feline this time, at least not too badly."
AFFIRMATIVE, the bot said in its metallic voice and the door opened. The foxhog glared at the robot furiously. The cold metal of the robot showed no indication that it either noticed or cared that Haley the Foxhog wanted to rip it apart, metal limb from limb. It removed her from the chains and walked down the hallway.
Another robot entered and removed the shackles from my wrists and ankles and before I had time to rub the feeling back in them, I was hauled to my feet and pushed after the other robot.
I stumbled a bit, but quickly regained my balance. I kept my expression calm and cool, and observed the behavior of the foxhog. She seemed to be showing her anger outwardly, but I didn't think it was to the degree of what I could tell she was feeling inside.
We were marched to Dr. Robotnik's laboratory and she was horror struck as to what we saw.
* * *
I was pissed. First Snively had shot me with this gun before I could react, and now we saw the full horror of his new terror.
Floating in a tube of liquid, with part of his head and one of his arms roboticized, was Tails! He was unconscious, but he looked eerie floating in the pale yellow liquid.
"ROBOTNIK!" I roared and charged at him full force. One of the guards swiftly grabbed at my arm and yanked me backwards. "WHAT HAVE YOU DONE TO TAILS?!"
His laughter boomed from behind a huge chair that had our back to us. "You dumb idiot. I had to do this in order to lure you back. That way I could finally finish you off once and for all. You turned out worse than the damn hedgehog."
"You didn't have to do anything, you fat pig," I said angrily. "You hurt Zoë and partially roboticized Tails! How many more, Robotnik?"
"As many as it would have taken to lure you back," he said, and turned his chair around. My stomach lurched at what sat before me.
Once a pale pasty white, his face now was a dull shade of green with boils covering half of his face. This once monstrous belly had gotten bigger, which I hadn't thought possible. His once ridiculous red and yellow outfit had been replaced by black, including a cape with a glittering green logo of a robot. His robotic arm had been removed completely, but the other was thickly covered with boils and green skin.
"Surprised are you?" he smirked. "Snively and I had a little incident in space with a few extra terrestrials. Snively managed to escape from their clutches but I had not." He got up and waddled over to me, and got down close to my face. "All because of you. And I completely intend on taking it all out on you, Tails, and the feline."
I spit in his face. "You are slime, Robotnik, and you will pay."
"Oh ho, I think not young Haley," he said, and then waved his hand at the tube. "Because if you try to hurt me, Tails will die."
* * *
