Merendinoemilano: Glad you enjoyed the writing
/*-*/
Sonic tried to be good to Sally, but she was really agitable. She seemed to get headaches and sick at strange times. Christina was getting frustrated, Sonic could tell.
Sally didn't lay in bed a lot. After two days, she came to the conclusion that she was not getting better. Sonic tried to make sure she had a good meal when he could. Still, after the third emotional break down, Sonic had enough.
"We're going to the Doctor." Sonic growled at Sally, frustrated with her lack of recovery, and her rather angry nature.
Sally nodded, not even putting up a fight, "Yes… I think I should get a check up."
Sonic almost collapsed, surprised, but he wasn't sure why. Sally was a woman with absolute determination. Sonic fell in love with that determination. Still she was so work-focused, Sonic expected her to stand her ground and say she needed to get back to work, "Just like that?"
Sally growled, "You think I like feeling like this? I don't- I'm sorry, I'm so sorry, I know it's not your fault." Sally seemed to break down, like almost ready to cry. Sonic was not a fan of the highs and lows with her. She seemed a little more impulsive, like him almost, but not in a good way.
Sonic could tell she was hurting, and he didn't like that, so he wrapped an arm around her, "Hey… You aren't feeling well, it's alright." Sonic lied, feeling her calm down.
Sally nodded against his shoulder, "Can we please go to the doctor now. I just want to feel batter." Sally groaned in exhaustion.
Sonic scooped her up, and zipped over to the hospital, making sure to push himself to maybe try and make up for his idle time.
They entered the lobby, and Sonic set Sally down, before walking up to the clerk, "Hi, Sally needs a check up, we think she's sick." Sonic smiled.
The Clerk nodded, "Right, Doctor Quack, correct?" The Clerk asked with a smile. Sonic nodded and the clerk wrote them in. Sonic then went and sat by Sally.
"I don't understand, the symptoms come and go. It's really weird, most illness are pretty constant, sticking with you pretty much around the clock. This one is different though. I don't like it." Sally sighed, shaking her head, mildly angry.
Sonic nodded, frankly not enjoying her spikes in anger and outrage, " I think it's really weird, but we'll figure it out and take care of it."
Sally smiled and slumped back, getting another tired spell. She seemed to close her eyes, but Sonic could tell she wasn't asleep. He just sat there, until he couldn't sit anymore, and decided to stand up and do some light pacings.
"GO-GO-GO!" Doctor Quack's voice came from the hallway. Sonic and Sally shot up as the Doctor came out wearing surgical gloves, and was followed by some nurses who were carrying a stretcher into the room.
The Doctor stopped when he saw Sonic and Sally, "Alright, where's the dying victim. We're ready."
Sonic blinked, "No one is dying… I don't think. Sally has just been acting sick and we want to take care of it."
The Doctor looked embarrassed, before turning to the nurses, "False alarm, nothing deadly so far. Thank you for your cooperation." The nurses went back with their stretcher and Doctor Quack turned back to Sonic, "Alright, I'll take her in for a normal check up. This is a surprising change of pace."
Sonic nodded as Sally stood up. Sonic laughed, "Well, We aren't always dying. Sometimes we just get a little sick, instead of very sick or our chests crushed."
"I like it. I'd rather not do open heart surgery for a while." The doctor led them to a room, where he opened the door and let them in. Sally walked over and sat on the green bed that had white paper over the top.
"Alright, What are your symptoms?" Doctor Quack asked, grabbing a clip board that was on a counter that was connected to a sink.
Sally sighed, "Extreme mood swings, nausea, headaches, feeling tired." Sally seemed to think a little more.
"That's… Interesting." The Doctor asked, before tapping his finger on the counter, "As a precaution, does your family have a history of mental illness?"
Sally thought for a moment, and Sonic saw her chest begin to thump in terror, "N-No, not that I know of."
The Doctor nodded, "Well, I'd like to run some tests to find out what is wrong. Blood work and a saliva sample."
Sally nodded, and the Doctor pulled out a syringe and a couple vials.
Sonic shifted, and Doctor Quack looked at him, "You may leave if you don't feel comfortable watching this."
"DON'T YOU DARE LEAVE ME ALONE IN HERE!" Sally shouted at Sonic, before covering her mouth again.
The Doctor looked at her curiously, before turning back to Sonic, "You should probably leave. I need her full attention."
Sonic nodded, and walked out the door, but not before saying, "Don't worry, Sal, I'll be back in an hour or so."
Sonic closed the door, and walked out to the lobby, "I'll be back in a little bit, ok, I'm just going out for a bit."
The clerk nodded with a smile, "That's fine, we'll just have to check you in again."
Sonic nodded, sighing. He didn't feel like going through that trouble, but oh well. He stepped out of the hospital, and for the first time, he felt something off. Something was wrong in the capital.
Sonic walked through the streets, and could taste something wrong in the air. He felt cold, not in a "Johan is messing with the weather again" kind of cold. No, this cold felt… darker, angrier.
It was… evil. Something was in the city. Sonic's evil radar was going crazy over whatever was in the Capital. He looked around and could see everyone on edge.
Sonic walked up to a vendor who was selling loaves of bread, "Hey, is everything alright? Everyone looks a little tense."
The vendor looked around, "Yeah… I don't know. Maybe everyone just got up on the wrong side of the bed, you know what I'm saying? I feel it too, I just don't get why everyone's so jumpy."
Sonic nodded, frowning. He didn't know what was going on. Part of him was excited, hoping that Eggman was finally doing something rather than leaving them in suspense. The other part of him knew that this wasn't Eggman's style. Eggman was loud and explosive. If this was him, he'd let them know.
Which meant there was a foe for them to fight. Someone who had remained hidden, or just arrived on the scene.
Or, there was nothing, and there was weird weather front moving in that made everyone on edge. That might be it. Sonic shook his head as he walked along the road, trying to occupy his time while Sally got her checkups.
Sonic took the opportunity to review Nicole's work. He looked around, and honestly, she did a pretty good job of recreating Mobotropolis. The buildings were all there, at least from what Sonic could remember, even if they had different signs and businesses.
Sonic saw the road that looked brand new, so it wasn't a perfect recreation, but still, an uncanny resemblance. Sonic could see the new steel where the sewer grates were placed in. Sonic then saw something coming from the sewer grates.
He walked closer and saw the black mist rising from the grates. It was so subtle, and the black steel seemed to hide the smoke, but Sonic saw it. He bolted towards the Waste Management department, and burst through the door.
The clerk had his head inside a book as he reclined back. Sonic cleared his throat, and the wolf woke up.
"Hu-huh? Oh, hey, if you have a plumbing issue, please fill out a form and we will get around to it as soon as possible." The clerk mumbled.
"I just wanted to let you know that there's some black mist or smoke or something coming out of the sewer grates. I don't think they're supposed to do that." Sonic explained, before groaning, "I want to go down there and check."
"Sorry, authorized personnel only. We'll send some people down. Probably just some kids playing with fire or something." The wolf shrugged.
"Is that safe?" Sonic asked, feeling a little concerned about this wolf's lack of care on the matter.
"Eh, it's nothing too dangerous. Methane actually needs a very specific ratio of oxygen and stuff to actually get dangerous. Trust me, you're in good hands." The wolf smiled weakly with a customer service smile.
Sonic shrugged, and sighed, "Well, I guess you all got it covered." As he thought about it, wading through the sewers was not something that sounded like fun.
Sonic walked out with a new lease on the situation. He was not going to be the one wading through crap, which was good. As he passed one of the sewer grates, Sonic still couldn't help but look down and get lower while standing on it. Something wasn't right about the smoke.
Sonic dared to lean down and take a whiff. It didn't have a smell. That put Sonic on guard. Sonic opened his mouth, "HEY, Who ever is down there, you need to stop doing that, they're going to send some guys after you."
Sonic expected to hear an "oh crap" from a couple of kids. He did not expect to hear a chattering sound, and a light hissing. Sonic recoiled slightly. His mind must have been playing tricks on him, or maybe someone just finished flushing.
He shook his head, and went to his favorite dog stand, before getting his chilidogs, and Sally one too, and heading to the Royal Palace.
Sonic then noticed the sewer system. It was actually connected by the bridge that linked the palace to the city. Sonic leaned out over the bridge, noticing the low moat water line, and the smoke coming from the vents at the Royal Palace's base.
Sonic frowned, and was beginning to suspect something was very wrong. Sonic shook his head and go back on track. He walked into the Royal Palace, and went to the Council chamber.
He saw the doors were open and he stood at the entrance while a Boar stood before the Council, "It was my rightful throne!"
"The council made a decision, while you armed yourself for war without even attempting to reach a compromise." Rosemary's voice was firm, and harsh.
The Boar growled, "There will be consequences, You hear me!" He waved his fist angrily.
Rosemary growled, "Do what you will, but remember that you are not fair in the eyes of the law and then nobility. Now that there is a king, you are simply greedy, and I do not think you will draw the support that you need." Sonic saw her smug face as she loomed gathered the heads of the council to nod with approval.
The Boar was clearly outraged and stormed out of the room, not before passing Sonic a cold glare. Sonic gave him a weak wave, before entering the chamber.
"Ah, Lord Sonic, what brings you here." Uncle Chuck smiled down at his nephew. Nagus sat on the throne, seeming to be pouting over something. Rosemary didn't pass Sonic a happy look, but she also didn't seem to hate him either. Her look was mostly of curiosity, perhaps wondering what he was there to do.
Sonic waved at his uncle, "Come on, Uncle Chuck, it's just Sonic. Don't be getting fancy on me."
"Sonic, we have to remain professional." Chuck scolded, but he was smiling, seeming to be happy to see Sonic.
"Might I say, it is a good sign to see you again, and so healthy." Isabella Mongoose noted with a friendly nod at Sonic.
Sonic smiled, "Well, Nothing ever kept me down before. Death isn't too big a deal." Sonic waved off the notion.
Rosemary cleared her throat, "As joyful as it is to see you alive and well, I need to remind us that this council is for serious issues and requests. What brings you here?"
Sonic sighed, "Is anything going on with Eggman? Can we go and hit him? I'm getting tired of waiting for him to make the first move." Sonic tapped his foot to drive his point home.
Rosemary blinked, and the council seemed to look at each other. She finally asked, "You came here as a Freedom Fighter, not as a Noble?"
"I guess." Sonic shrugged.
Rosemary clenched her jaw, "Please do not waste this council's time again."
"Hey, is everything alright with your basement?" Sonic asked, and Nagus seemed to get up from his pout.
Chuck leaned down, "I don't believe anything is wrong. Why?"
"There's been some black smoke coming from the sewers, and there's a lot coming out of the base of the palace. I don't know if you had a fire or anything?" Sonic asked, scanning the council members. Hamlin was distracted, and uncharacteristically quiet. Chuck looked confused, Penelope and Isabella looked concerned, Dylan looked pretty happy to be included, and then there was Nagus, who looked agitated as usual.
Sonic turned to Hamlin, "You've been quiet, what's up? You know something?"
"Nothing that concerns you, Hedgehog." Hamlin growled, on guard.
Sonic shrugged, "Alright, fine. Just… something is wrong with your basement."
"Thank you for making us aware. We have no intention of pushing beyond our established borders at the moment with concerns to Robotnik." Rosemary stated, clearly wanting him to leave.
Sonic sighed, "Alright, fine."
As he was walking out, Sonic saw someone who was clearly from the desert walking to the council. He certainly seemed to be important.
"I send my tidings from Queen Myra of the kingdom of the sands-" Sonic heard the uproar from the council as he left and went back to the hospital.
He zipped down the street, with the now colder chilidog in his hands. He had spent about an hour, and Sonic knew that they had to be done with the tests by then.
Sonic got back to the Hospital lobby, and walked up to the clerk, "Sonic the Hedgehog?"
"Yes." Sonic got ready for a number of questions.
"Alright, go on in." The Clerk gave him a friendly smile.
"That's it?" Sonic asked, not trusting it.
"I had a form already filled out just for you. Don't worry about it. Go on in." The Clerk smiled. Sonic was pretty sure she would get in trouble for that.
"Thanks." Sonic smiled and went to the room. He knocked on the door, and could already feel the tension in the room.
Sonic felt seconds seem to get longer as he began to worry about what was going on. He had a feeling that something terrible had happened.
The door opened, and Doctor Quack nodded, holding a clipboard with paper on it, "Good, you are back, I've already told her the diagnosis."
"Which is?" Sonic asked, feeling very worried for her.
"Come inside, I'm not at liberty to say in public." Doctor Quack explained, which made Sonic nervous.
Sonic stepped inside the room. He saw Sally sitting on the bed, very clearly panicking in her stoic way, with her hands clasped in her lap, and her eyes cast downward. Sonic gulped as he sat down next to her.
"Ok Doc… what's wrong." Sonic panted, tapping his foot nervously.
Doctor quack gave a light smile, "Well… I did a blood test and saliva sample, and can tell you that it is not cancer, nor is it a mental illness."
SOnic let out a sigh of relief. The Doctor also looked over the clipboard as Sally looked up at him.
Doctor Quack then explained, "It also isn't particularly dangerous, at least to someone within Ms, Acorn's age bracket."
Sonic kept a gaze at the doctor, "What's got her so wound up? Why is she hurting? Can we do anything?"
The Doctor seemed to sigh in annoyance, as he and Sally's eyes met. Sonic saw a pleading look coming from Sally's face. Sonic cleared his throat, "What is it?"
The Doctor sighed, "Well, Mr. Hedgehog. It appears to be an infection, likely the result of stress and immense physical activity. Like I said, it is most likely not fatal, so she should have very little to worry about."
Sonic let out a gasped, "Man, you really had me worried there." He saw Sally's look of gratitude on her face. Something about this felt off, but Sonic was going to take it as it came. He was happy Sally was fine. She probably wanted to get back to work.
Sonic realized that was probably a very important question, "So… is she good to go back to work?" Sonic asked. Not that he wanted her back, but if she was sick.
"She's not contagious, if that's what you are worried about." The Doctor looked down at his feet, seeming to get agitated really quickly.
Sonic nodded, "Alright, So she can get back to leading the Freedom Fighters?"
Sally returned to an almost begging look at the Doctor. Doctor Quack growled, before sighing, "Yes, she can return to work, but it is my professional medical opinion… That she stay away from physically, mentally, and emotionally stressful situations. I would recommend taking medical leave." He said to Sally.
Sally nodded, "I'll think about it." That was a no. Sonic knew it, and he guessed Doctor Quack knew it too.
"I am being very serious when I say that I Strongly Advise taking medical leave. If not for your own health, Ms. Acorn, then for the security of your position. Emotional instability and exhaustion are not good influences to be under considering your role in our society." Doctor Quack made some really good points, or at least Sonic thought so.
"Sally, I think you should probably take a vacation. I think he's right." Sonic offered, earning a scowl from her.
"How long have you known me for?" Sally demanded from Sonic. Sonic shifted nervously as he thought for a minute.
"I don't know. We've been in this so long, I don't remember how old we were when we met." Sonic sighed, feeling a little guilty.
"You know I won't do anything rash." Sally growled at Sonic, pointing at Sonic.
Sonic nodded, "Alright… I guess we can talk about it later?" Sonic gave her a weak smile.
Sally kept her scowl, before nodding, "Yes, we can. So, Thank you Doctor for this check up, I will be sure to send you payment when I get back to Freedom Headquarters."
SOnic looked at the doctor, "Anything we need to know to take care of her better?"
"She may start to develop some odd tastes. I recommend getting her whatever she wants to eat. I recommend a healthier approach to foods and a soft abstinence from alcohol. A little is fine, but it will… weaken the immune system. She may also develop some weight, if that happens, send her in, and I'll make sure she's alright." The Doctor explained, but was clearly not happy with Sally's response.
Sonic nodded, "Alright, I will take care of her, thanks for everything." Sonic got up and held out his arms for Sally. She laid back in them, and Sonic zipped out back to his manor. Sonic set her down, and smiled at her, but she was a little mad at him still. She went inside without much of a word.
Sonic sighed and slumped down. He really could not win right now. Sonic did have to remind himself that she was sick, and that wasn't helping her mood.
Sonic ran to Freedom Headquarters and opened the door. He walked inside and saw Elias talking with some nobles. He looked up and saw Sonic.
"Ah, Sonic, there you are. Can you please tell these fine gentlemen about the importance of the house of Acorn?" Elias asked, with an overjoyed smile.
Sonic gawked for a moment, "Well… Uh, Sally leads the Freedom Fighters and helped us get most of the Kingdom back. Max was a pretty awesome king, and Elias was pretty good to everyone." Sonic really stumbled on that delivery.
Elias's smile wavered as he blinked, expecting more of an endorsement Sonic guessed.
The nobles frowned and seemed to weigh his words, "You make interesting points, however, his majesty Nagus has reigned in the Republic, and has restored our faith in the monarchy. Perhaps it would be best if things remained the same?"
Elias smiled a forced, but agitated smile, "Yes… I suppose so. Thank you for your time."
The nobles walked out and gave Sonic a respectful head bow. He did the same, and Elias growled, "Well, that was not the endorsement I was hoping for."
"What did you want me to say?" Sonic asked, throwing his hands up, "I'm not exactly a hype-man. I said what I thought of you guys, that's all."
Elias shook his head, "I needed their support, I needed your help. Obviously, I still have some work to do."
Sonic sighed, actually feeling himself get angry with Elias, "Why are you stirring the pot? We need to stay organized. We should be focusing on Eggman. You didn't even want to rule for the most part, so why are you-"
"-I won't be the one who ended the Acorn Royal line because of my Incompetence!" Elias shouted, balling a fist. He was breathing heavily, angry and exhausted.
SOnic nodded slowly. Elias was dedicated to getting that throne back, and Sonic could tell that he was not going to stop.
Elias sighed, letting out his anger with that breath, "So what brings you here?"
"Sally has an infection. We took her to the doctor, and he said she should avoid stressful situations." Sonic explained, "She needs to take medical leave, but we both know she won't. Can you try to convince her?"
Elias frowned, and actually lost his anger completely, replacing it with concern for his sister, "She has an infection?"
Sonic nodded, "Yeah, apparently it was caused by "physical stress" or something like that. She's been getting headaches, sick, been exhausted. She's also been crazy, being fine one moment, then getting really angry or sad the next." Sonic sighed, feeling like he was bad mouthing her, but not really sure how else to put it.
"Hmmm. Those are some interesting symptoms." Elias was thinking about something, "Like you said, we both know she's not going to stop working. My sister is very diligent, and I can respect that."
Sonic sighed, "But she's going to hurt herself if she keeps pushing herself like that. Please talk to her."
Elias looked down, and nodded with a sigh, "Very well, I will talk with her and maybe get her to take it easy with work. I will also be there to help out with administration."
"Thanks, Elias." Sonic smiled, and went back to his Manor.
Sonic walked over to their room, and saw Sally laying in bed, staring up at the ceiling. There was a try of meats and pastries next to the bed.
Sonic gulped, "Hey… Sal, how are you doing?"
"I'm… fine. I'm feeling a little agitated that you don't have faith in me, but I guess that's what I get." Sally growled, rubbing a hand over her head.
Sonic gulped, already feeling like he was walking into a trap, "Sally, please, You know I have faith in you. You've gotten us through the worst times, and I believe in you. But you're sick, and you take off when you're sick, you don't try to power through it."
Sally growled, "I'm fine, I'm not contagious, and I can lead like I always have."
"I know you can, but you are sick." Sonic stated again, before closing his eyes and sitting on the bed next to her. He could see her starring into his soul, " I don't want you to get worse. I love you, and I couldn't forgive myself if I let anything bad happen to you."
Sally's face went from angry to shocked. Her eyes glistened with love and affection, "Well… I'll take it easy. I'll let you and Elias help."
"That's the best offer I am going to get, isn't it." Sonic laughed at her.
"That's right." Sally stated with a smile, raising a hand to brush Sonic's cheek. Sonic leaned down and kissed her, before standing up.
"I'll be out here if you need anything." Sonic smiled, and went down stairs to grab some food. His quills began to stand up as Sonic walked, towards the kitchen. He could feel something wrong.
Sonic zipped down the hall and entered a guest room, before looking out the window. Something was out in the forest. He didn't like it.
/*-*/
Johan prowled through the sewers. The smell was agitating, how he hated the smell of his enemy. Johan crawled through the dark waste. He could tell his enemy was gone, Johan knew it, the smell was weakening.
Still, he wanted to see if there were any spawns to kill.
Johan continued to search, snarling and sniffing.
Even as he hunted through the sewers, Johan's anger grew. Couldn't find any spawns, which was odd, unless his enemy needed more power to create them.
Johan finally gave up. There was nothing down there, except a decaying corpse. Johan could see a sort of uniform on the young wolf, and where his stomach had been torn out. Johan knew there was no point in staying.
He left, and returned to his ship, where he would clean up. Johan bathed in the lake, and came out, to find Gewis at his ship.
"You have returned so quickly?" Johan asked, thoroughly surprised.
"Yep, after our nap, we hollowed out some logs and rode the river. Ezra is letting the Legionnaires know about their new life." Gewis shrugged, before setting the box of gold down, "I'm a little curious now. Why didn't you just crown yourself king of the desert?"
Johan glanced down at him. Still, he could see how it would be a confusing decision, "I could not rule the desert and return to this kingdom as a mercenary. I have duties here that I need to deal with. A friend in the desert lets us have an ally to fight our enemy, and allows me to continue my work with this kingdom."
Gewis nodded slowly, "Ok… Ok…"
"Do you have our gift." Johan asked, perhaps a little more testy in his agitation.
Gewis nodded, and pulled out the letters. He laid them all out in front of Johan. Johan nodded, pleased with Gewis's ability to take and keep them safe from harm along the journey, "Out of curiousity, what are you going to do with some old letters."
Johan gazed down at the papers, "We will see."
"We?" Gewis asked, shifting.
"I have decided I want you at my side with this. My left hand, to carry my shield, and be my advisor." Johan growled firmly.
Gewis thought for a moment, before looking up with determination and fire in his eyes, "What do you need?"
"First, to cleanse this land. Summon the king." Johan growled firmly.
/*-*/
Ah, lots of good stuff happening. So many parts moving. What comes next?
Please leave a review, tell me what you thought, or what I could improve on. I love to hear from my readers.