The Doom Crystal: Part 2, Stuck Between a Rock and a Very Hard Place, Section 3

A Sonic the Hedgehog Fanfic by find-the-lion

Disclaimer: I do not own Sonic the Hedgehog, Dr. Robotnik, Princess Sally, Bunnie Rabbot, Rotor Walrus, or Antoine D'Coolette. They are copyrighted by SEGA, DiC Productions, and Archie Comics.

However, Ebony Moon, Taylor Dovewing, Josephine (Arrow) Lisara, and Hank the Jackrabbit are all copyrighted June 7, 2005 to me as is this story which is also copyrighted June 7, 2005 to me.

Notes:

For those of you who didn't watch SatAM, Lower Mobius is the home of a group of refugees who settled in Robotropolis' sewers.

Ebony

We reached Knothole about the time the sun disappeared from between the trees. It was also right after Sonic and the others had returned, and I could see them just up ahead at the tree stump where Sonic liked to tell his adventures. He was there now, telling his amazed audience about what had transpired today. "…You guys remember Ebony right? Well it turns out we found her in Robotnik's lab. Snively was trying to get her to tell him where Knothole was. Well, she's as hard as nails you know and didn't have any intention of giving him that info. Anyway, just as we were crossing over the vent cover, she started screaming to Snively about how I had put a bomb under the place where they had her chained to the wall. I think she was trying to trick him into getting close to her, so she could work an escape on her own. While Snively was trying to figure out where the bomb was, we snuck in there and I gave Snively butt-kicking that he won't soon forget!…"

'My words exactly.' I thought to myself. But I didn't get angry and go over there to correct him. After all, I was better off without an inflated ego. If he wanted to boost his celebrity status, it didn't matter to me. After telling Taylor to stay with her friend, I walked over to where Sally was standing behind Sonic. "Hello again."

Sally turned around. "Oh, did you change your mind?" She asked.

"Kind of. We have a little emergency." I gestured to where Taylor was sitting next to her unconscious friend.

"What happened?" Sally asked curiously.

"I was on my way out and I found them being ambushed by SWAT-bots a little ways out from here." I explained.

Sally nodded. "Okay. I'll go get Doctor Quack. He'll know what to do." She turned away from the crowd entirely to walk toward the infirmary.

"I'm really sorry for leaving so abruptly this afternoon." I muttered as I trotted after her.

"Don't be. We forgive you." Sally paused as we reached the building toward which she was walking. "You're probably not getting very far tonight are you?" She opened the door.

"Now that you mention it, no." I answered.

"Okay. I'll see that these people have somewhere to stay tonight. In the mean time, the place you stayed in last time is still open, so if you'd like to stay, you're welcome to it." We were now walking hurriedly in the direction of the duck's office.

"I think I'll take you up on that. You're a lifesaver Sally. Thank you."

It was a few hours later and it was really dark now. I'd gotten the keys for my cabin and had just entered it, when I realized I would need to contact Hank so he would know what was happening. I put my shoulder bag on the small table and started rummaging around for my radio. There wasn't a chance Robotnik could understand a word if he picked up the signal on his airwaves. This little device was programmed to encode the signal as it went out, so only a radio exactly like mine could read it, and there were only a few besides the inventor of this device who had such a radio. I finally pulled out the device in question which was barely big enough to cover my hand.

I flipped the switch to the on position, turned the knob to Hank's frequency, and spoke into it. "Hank, you there?"

"Yeah I'm here." Came the reply.

"I'm starting to think that I'm not going to make it in time to go on the hunt, I've gotten a little side-tracked."

"What happened?"

"Well, it's kind of a long story." Boy was it ever. "Robotnik was involved, and then I ran into some other friends of mine, and then on top of that, I ran into some folks who got lost in the woods. One of them was hurt so I had to help them retreat to somewhere safe. I'm going to need some time to get them straightened out."

"I understand that you have problems Ebony, but I can't spare your skills, I'm the only other one who can track and I need all the help I can get. The tribe could be in danger."

I sighed. "Okay Hank, hang in there, I'll get there as fast as I can. Ebony out." I put the radio back in my shoulder bag.

I started a fire in the fireplace and began supper preparations. The hut I had been given had a small common area. A bed in the right corner closest to the door, a table with two chairs on the left wall, and a small kitchen area opposite the bed if one felt the need for cooking.

Even though Rosie's mess hall was very inviting, I felt like eating alone tonight. I took down a small pot and went outside. Then, I headed toward the well that provided drinking water. After I had filled the pot, I took it back to my hut and put it on to boil. I then reached into my shoulder bag and reached in an arm to search around in it. I finally pulled out a smaller bag of vegetables that an old friend had given my on a recent visit, a packet of home made cheese, and a small supply of dried meat. I put the meat in immediately and added the vegetables at random until a wonderful aroma began to fill the hut. Then, once the soup was read I pulled the pot off the stove and quickly found a pot holder for it to rest on.

After that, I took a bowl from above the fireplace and a spoon from my shoulder bag. It was a very simple meal. But it was also very nice to sit in a warm hut with hot soup rather then be out in a season where the nights were still prone to cold spells.

I had almost finished eating when there was a knock on my door. I put down the spoon and went to open it.

"Oh, hello Sally." I said when I saw who it was. "Would you like to come in?"

"Yes I would." Sally replied.

I opened the door and then closed it after her. "So, um, what's on your mind?" I asked as I pulled a chair over in front of the fire.

"I guess it's kind of a good thing that you were held up this time. I'd like to know how many villages there are left." Sally said as she sat down.

"Why?" I asked as I went back to the table to get another chair.

"Because all I've heard about other villages has come from refugees whose homes Robotnik has destroyed. I want to hear how many are still holding on."

I returned with the other chair and what remained of my soup. "Do you mind?" I asked, holding up the bowl. "You kind of caught me at supper."

Sally shook her head. "No I don't."

"It'll hurt to tell you this." I said as I sat down. "But counting Knothole there are only six remaining villages in this region."

"That's all of them?" Sally asked.

"Yes that's all of them." I confirmed, taking another mouthful of my dinner.

"But do you know about Lower Mobius?"

I gave a rueful laugh, finished a spoonful of soup, and answered, "Do I know about Lower Mobius? Yes I do. Heh, Robotnik rooted them out three weeks ago. I saw the wreckage as I was crossing Robotropolis heading east."

"Didn't you say there were some kinds of tribes near where you were headed?" Sally asked curiously.

"Oh yes, there are a lot of tribes out there in the plains. Swift being the most powerful, and then there is the Wolfpack, which tends to stay on the south side of the Great Forest. A couple of friends of mine were born to the Wolfpack." I was counting them off on the hand that wasn't holding the bowl and spoon. "Lets see, Tallgrass, Stripeskin, Coyote Pack. Those are some of the tribes I've seen. Of course there's Floating Island and some of the other continents but my geographical knowledge doesn't go that far." I finished my soup and got up to put the bowl and spoon on the table to deal with later. It was about then I thought of something I'd been meaning to ask.

"Oh yeah." I turned around to face her again. "Do you know of anyone who can run Taylor and Arrow down to the marshland? I had thought of doing it myself, but I just talked to my friend in Lilac and, he wants me there as soon as I can travel."

"Perhaps you should just take us to the beach. From there we could find our way back to our homeland and then another guide could take us to rejoin our companions." Taylor was standing in the doorway looking slightly embarrassed. I looked up at her in surprise. When did she get in here?

"I knocked and you didn't answer." Taylor said. "I came to tell you that Arrow is awake."

"Well, that's good news." I looked up at the ceiling thoughtfully. "Well, I am going to a village on the coastline." I said. "It's near a place known as Mariners Rock, are you familiar with it?"

"I could find our island from there." Taylor walked over to the chair that I had vacated and sat down. Seeing the change in seating arrangements, I sat down cross-legged on the floor and stared at the flames for a while.

After a few moments of silence in which we each thought our own thoughts, I suddenly sat upright, yawning dramatically and stretching my arms. "You know, we should probably be getting to bed. If you're coming with me, you're gonna want to get some sleep."

Sally and Taylor both seemed to take this as their cue to leave because they both stood up. "I'm sorry." Sally said apologetically. "If you're tired, go ahead." She started backing toward the door. "You did have kind of a long day. If I'd thought about it, I wouldn't have bothered you."

"No." I said, standing up to follow her. "It's okay. In fact, it's a nice change to have dinner guests." As they left the hut, I waved goodbye, and shut the door behind them. When it was shut, I heaved a long sigh of relief.

"Glad that's over." I said to myself as I leaned against the door. "If I didn't know any better, I'd say I was being interrogated… again." I yawned again as I moved to close up the fireplace for the night. I did feel exhausted. In fact, I found I was struggling to stay awake while pulling back the covers on the bed. Finally, I gave up and just collapsed on top of the covers I had just turned down… and…. Zzzz…..

Taylor

I went back to the hut that Arrow and I were sharing and lay down on the bed that was unoccupied.

Arrow had been resting in the other bed for some hours now. As previously reported, she was conscious again, and now she was sitting on the edge of the bed as though wanting to talk to me. "What is going to happen to us now Taylor?"

I sighed. "You will be back on our beloved isle."

Arrow frowned. "What? Surely you are coming with me."

I shook my head. "It is our custom, you know that."

"Oh no. You're not serious are you? Now I really wish your mother hadn't insisted on sending you to some nowhere. To tell the truth, I think her ladyship was becoming much too paranoid. We are almost grown now and perfectly able to take care of ourselves."

"Much as I dislike your attitude towards my mother, I have to agree with your feelings on her paranoia." I shut my eyes and thought back the day that had started my world spinning out of control. My species is native only to a large island known as the Firebird Isle, the homeland of the only phoenix proven to exist, and for the last five hundred years, it has been a part of the Kingdom of Acorn. Now, because of Robotnik, it is an autonomous region. My family, who now holds stewardship over the Isle, has a direct line to the ancient warrior chieftains that once ruled it, but now, mere lords and ladies are we. I suppose that's enough history for now. This particular day I speak of, I had returned with Arrow to the palace after a very successful hunting trip, only to hear some terrible news. My mother, the noble lady Aria, had received word from a scout recently arrived from the Emerald Islands that Robotnik's forces had been spotted off the coast of that region.

My mother decided that it would be for the best if I were hidden away in our recently built base in the marshland, from which we had originally hoped to fight back against the fat one. My older brother Cedric would stay behind as the heir. And so, with Arrow along as my companion, I was spirited away to the mainland. Unfortunately, no thanks to an ambush on our entourage, and some particularly bad weather three days ago, we had been separated and had gotten very lost. Now, with nothing but my ruby ring bearing the crest of the phoenix with the symbol of the acorn in the background and some personal belongings to tie me to my homeland, fortune had chosen to bind me to a total stranger, this Ebony Moon. By our custom, when someone saves you from mortal peril, you become indebted to them until it can be repaid. If I could somehow manage a feat of equal risk and valor, then the debt would be undone. I had not informed her of this as of yet, but I would have to soon, as it would be dishonorable to leave with this debt unpaid.

"How will I ever manage such a thing?" I thought to myself as I slowly dozed off, without saying more to Arrow.

Ebony

The next morning, I awoke to a day full of possibilities. First on my list was breakfast, which was dealt with in short order.

After an egg sandwich, I returned to my own hut to prepare for departure. It didn't take very long to get the place cleaned up and my stuff packed and I was about to go and tell Taylor and Arrow it was time to leave when there was a knock on my door. I went over to the door and opened it. As a smile spread across my face, I privately hoped my visitors were only stopping by to see us off. It was Sonic and Sally.

"Hi, you're just in time, we were about to leave." I stepped back to let them in.

"Ebony, we've been discussing your plans and we have decided that it would be best if we came with you." Sally said.

"You guys? No, it's dangerous. The fewer the better."

"We deal with danger all the time, and besides, if Robotnik is behind the Swift tribe's disappearance, then he needs to be dealt with." Sally argued.

I thought about her words. Perhaps lurking somewhere in the back of my mind, there was still some residual guilt for blowing them off yesterday. Perhaps I thought what she said made sense. Perhaps I just wanted them along. I'll never figure it out. But after considering for a few minutes, I relented. "Okay, anyone else coming or just you?"

Sally nodded. "Bunnie and Antoine." Sonic gave a rather annoyed look when the coyote's name was mentioned.

"But that's almost all of the leaders here." I said.

"Rotor's going to stay here." Sally said. "He's perfectly capable."

"Okay, if you're sure." With that, I stepped out between the two of them and went to collect Taylor and Arrow. They were ready to go, so we met up with Antoine and Bunnie just before we reached the edge of Knothole. Shortly afterward, the seven of us set out in a northwesterly direction. I sure hoped Hank wouldn't mind having guests.

To Be Continued…