"YOU WANT A PIECE OF THIS?!"
Shortfuse rammed straight into a SWATbot before using both hands to tear off its' dome. He lobbed it straight through the head of a trooper before dodging another SWATbot's laser blastbefore he proceeded to dive straight through the thing like a large drill shined to a sheen. A Trooper then aimed his laser shotgun at Shortfuse, straight in the back, as though he'd finally be the one to end this menace once after all. Unfortunately for them, the only thing it really did to him was make him tickle.
"Thanks. Really helped take care of that itch!" He then fired one of his wrist-lasers at the Trooper square in the head before roaring like a madman as he tore straight into the lot of them. This had been for all intents and purposes how the rest of the fight had progressed, SWATbots and Troopers continuing to roll in as if sent by committee while Shortfuse smashed them to pieces like ripping apart tinfoil, with the occasional wrist-laser thrown in to mix things up.
Sonic and Sally skidded back into the lab, only stopping to pick up a freeloader. "Hey Shortfuse!", said Sonic. "You comin'?! Hate to say it but it's now or never!"
"Just give me a minute here! I'm cleanin' up the trash."
"You can clean up my chili dog wrappers for all I care! Eggman's trapping us all in! We don't get out now, we're toast!"
"You serious?! Oh come on!"
"We're not debating this. If you aren't coming, I'll—"
"Oh, fine, fine! Whatever. Let's just get out of here, huh?" Shortfuse then blasted over to Sonic and Sally like a rocket as a jet thruster ignited from his boots. "Which way's the exit?" Sonic and Sally simply pointed to the South. "Lovely. Fine, whatever. Let's just go." And as Sally and Sonic led the way, Shortfuse couldn't help but wonder what was even going on at that point.
"Okay, this has gotta stop."
Rotor and Chirps continued to fight the good fight, dodging or protecting themselves against wrist-blasters and rifle fire and what have you, but they were starting to get just a touch winded. It was like a swarm of ants that just wouldn't let up.
Chirps raisdd another wall of Earth to defend himself against another blast. "Seriously, where does he get those wonderful toys?! And did I just commit plagiarism?"
Rotor ripping another bot in two. "I hate to say it, but this can't go on. We need to get out of . If we don't, we're done."
"Hate to say it too, but you may be right. But we can't just leave without the others."
Just then, in came Antione and Bunnie from the other corridor, Bunnie hobbling along as Antione did his best to keep her up.
"Easy, easy Mademoiselle!", said Antione.
"Please sugar, just call me Bunnie. Though it is sweet."
Antione began to blush. "Uh, ahem, yes. As you wish, Miss Bunnie."
Bunnie giggled. "Okay, whatever works for you."
They managed to make it to the middle of the corridor before they noticed there was still a raging battle going on near the end, with Chirps and Rotor still holding the fort.
"Zut alors! Sir Chirps! Are you well?! Please give me a moment! I shall be right there!"
"Appreciate it," said Chirps, "but—"
Just then, Antione and Bunnie almost felt a draft whizz straight by like a fall breeze as Sonic and Sally came zipping back into the corridor, with a loud roar of jet engines resounding throughout the area as Shortfuse flew in right behind.
"Sally!", said Antione and Bunnie, almost in unison.
"Finally!" Chirps impaled another bot with yet another stone spear. "Was starting to think you'd never come. Like Shayne. Not even sure that's a real movie to be honest."
"CHIRPS!" shouted Sally. "GET US OUT OF HERE! NOW!"
"You don't have to tell me twice! Except when you do. Which isn't today." Chirps lifted his hand down as the wall of earth surrounding the entrance to the secret passage finally came down once again. "That's it, people! Everybody in!" Chirps and Rotor scrapped one last batch of bots before racing towards the exit, with everyone else doing the same. Sonic raced Sally in before doing the same with Antione and Bunnie, though given that she weighed like a sack of bricks, that one was a touch more of a struggle. Still, they managed to get everyone in nonetheless, and as another pack of bots scrambled after them, Chirps managed to cover the whole thing up just as they reached the entrance. The bots began pounding on the thing, attempting to cave their way through as though they were hunters desperate to seize their prey.
"Zut alors!" said Antione, his legs again knocking as soon as Bunnie had left his grasp. "They cannot come after us, surely?"
"Might," said Chirps," if we stick around long. So let's make sure we don't. And don't call me Shirley."
"Come on!" said Sally. "We're all getting out of here! I won't let anyone else get left behind." For just the briefest of moments, Sally stood still as a board, almost as though she were seeing something that she would rather forget. She shook her head as though she couldn't bear to see it before carrying on, leading the crew towards a pair of stairs below.
"Everyone follow me." And everyone did, though of all of them, Sonic was the last to follow. He looked behind at the wall of earth as just the slightest of cracks started to show, though it wasn't the wall he was looking at. He was looking at something else, something that couldn't be seen, and if one could see what both he and Sally were seeing, one could swear they were seeing the same thing.
"Damn it." He shook his head, desperate not to think about it. He couldn't think about it. Not now. He sped down the stairs like a blur, wondering just what the point of it all was. Or if there even was a point.
Eggman stormed into the control room with Dingo right behind him. Snively swiveled around in his chair, desperately hoping that he didn't have to go to the toilet.
"Good job Snively," said Eggman. "The forcefield system worked like a charm. I suppose being a toiler scrubber isn't in your future after all."
Snively breathed as though he had just won another day to live. "Thank you, sir. Though speaking of which…"
"The toilet or the forcefield?"
"Uh, the forcefield, sir. Speaking of that, it's still going to take some minutes for the field to activate. Enough time for those pests to scamper away into the sunset. If they manage to escape and leave the city limits, we won't exactly be able to send reinforcements after them without shutting off the field."
"That is just something we'll have to live with Snively. Besides, there's always a Round Two. It's all part of the game. Though I do believe we've won something of a conciliation prize. Dingo, show me your hand, won't you?"
"What's this all about, boss?" Dingo had managed to shift himself enough so that he could heal most of his wounds, but he was still just a touch smarting.
"Just trust me on this, won't you Dingo?"
Dingo wasn't sure what to think, but then again, thinking wasn't what he was known for. He held out his hand, which still had a bit of a scab on it.
"Right." Eggman began to examine the hand meticulously. "Let's see here. Doo do doo, do doo doo, do do… ah! There we are! He pulled out a pair of tweezers from his black pants and pulled out a slight blue sliver from Dingo's hand before reaching into his pants again and pulling out a small plastic bag, and placed it within. Dingo yelped just slightly in pain before he managed to shift part of himself over the wound in short order.
"What in the bloody hell was that for?!", yelled Dingo.
"Why, this." Eggman held up the plastic bag for all to see as if displaying a rare artifact of priceless renown. "Exhibit A: Quill of Hedgehog. Or at least a sliver of it. Can anyone give me another name for this most priceless of artifacts?"
Snively took just one look at the bag and smiled as though he'd hit upon the score of a lifetime. "Hedgehog DNA."
"Egg-xactly."
"Are you alright Bunnie? Come on, it is upsey-daisy, no?"
Antoine was kneeling above a hole in the ground in the middle of a small batch of trees sitting above a tall hill, some ways away from Mobotropolis. He could still see it in the distance like a looming specter, but by now, they were all far away. Most everyone had managed to get through the sewers and come through the secret entrance outside the capital, built in ancient times just in case one needed to evacuate in secrecy, with some assistance from speedy Sonic and flying high Shortfuse helping to get everyone away as quick as they could. Bunnie was the last one to climb up the ladder after they'd managed to haul Antione's dad up there, and thanks to being stuck with a new set of limbs and no experience in balancing them, it was something of a struggle.
"Coming Antione," said Bunnie, just a few bars away from the top. "It's just, this is a heck of a lot harder than it looks. Least for me."
"You need any help there miss?", said Rotor. "I could probably help pull you up if you wanted me to."
"Thanks, but this is somethin' I gotta do myself. I ain't letting these things get the best of me." She did her best to focus herself, breathing in and out, doing her best not to crush the bars like aluminum. She'd already dented one of the lower bars a titch on the way up, and she wasn't keen on pulling a repeat.
"You are sure you do not need any help?", said Antione.
"I'll let you know if I do. But thanks sugar." Bunnie began to climb up the last few bars, steadying herself and slowly making the climb. Her limbs could still be a tad wobbly, and she had trouble placing them on the next bar more than once, but she managed to make it.
"Just a little more Bunnie. That is it, you are doing very well!"
Bunnie didn't hear him. She was busy trying not to fall to a very hard landing below, or crush the bars while she was at it. She reached for the next one and grabbed it. She lifted up her foot and set it. Grab, set. Grab, set. Each step took a while and with as much effort as pulling a sack full of steel bars, but she was doing it nonetheless. One two, one two, one two—
Bunnie gasped in shock. The bar beneath her had given way, and if she didn't do something, she risked falling to her doom. Antoine was the first one to reach for her, and at just the last possible second, he seized her hand like his life depended on it. But it wouldn't be enough. Thankfully, it didn't have to be. Sonic raced in like a flash, grabbing Antione's free hand, and Sally did the same with Sonic. Still, try they as might, they were still trying to lift up a partially cybernetic Bunnie that had just forcibly put on weight. "Sugars," said Bunnie, dangling in mid-air, "a little help here please!"
This was a chain that needed a dead weight. Thankfully, they had two potential candidates on hand. Rotor decided it was time to rush in and pull his weight, but just before he could, Shortfuse beat him to the punch. Shortfuse squeezed Sally's hand "(A little tight!") and pulled back her and the rest like tugging back a piece of string. One by one, they were all pulled away from the hole, ending with Bunnie finally being pulled out and brought to safety.
"Whoo!", said Antione. "You are safe! Thank Gaea. Are you unhurt Bunnie?"
"Never better." Bunnie was breathing heavily, somewhat exerted as if she'd been forced to run several dozen laps around a football field, but other than that, she wasn't doing too bad for herself. "Just having to learn how to balance these things. It ain't always fun. But thanks, Ant'." She gave him a peck on the cheek. Antione blushed like a cherry and practically nearly fainted as though this was too good to be true.
"Good to see you're safe Bunnie," said Sally, picking herself up after falling flat on her arse. Just then, a red and yellow forcefield sprung up over Mobotropolis, keeping everyone in within it and keeping everyone else out. And if what Eggman said was true, not even the sewers could get them through now.
"Alright," said Sally. "As you all just saw, Mobotropolis is closed off. Whether or not anyone goes in or out is up to Eggman. And the King… Daddy is… he's gone. So. What do we do now?" She paused for a moment, just brief enough to let her audience take it all in.
"Well, I'll tell you one thing. That man leveled my city, kidnapped my father, and then did only Gaea knows what with him! And I've no doubt he's going to try and take over the rest of the kingdom. Who knows where he'll go from there. So I'm not letting him go one step further without a fight. A fight for freedom. But I can't do it alone. I know it's a lot to ask, but as Princess of the Acorn Kingdom, and just as a woman trying to take back what's hers and everyone's, I'm asking you. Will you help me?"
For a time, all was silent. Whether it be from uncertainty or the magnitude of what was being asked or just waiting for someone else to answer, the stage was barren and waiting for someone to take it. And then, right as an air of dread begin to fall over the crowd, Antione's hand shot sky high into the air like a rocket.
"As I have already said, Princess Sally," said Antione, "I will fight alongside you as long as you shall need me. Even if I am having a heart attack while doing it."
"Well said, sugar!", said Bunnie. "You need my help, Sal, you got it. Sides, I'm not letting him go after what he and that creep did to me."
"Same here," said Shortfuse. "I don't give a crap about the kingdom or honor. All I know is that those SOB's took the only thing I had left. And I'm making them pay. With or without you. Still, strength in numbers. But DON'T get in my way."
"Well," said Porker, "I'm not going to be such a pig about it, ironic I know, but not to put too fine a point on it, Eggman used me. He promised me that I could help him make a better world, but all he really wanted was for me to help him push his own agenda. And I'm sick of being used. If you need an engineer, I'm your guy."
"Same," said Tekno. "Also used. Don't like it. You need a scientist, I'll be there."
"And if you need a mechanic," said Rotor, "just count me in too! You think I'm just going to stand by while some genocidal madman tries and takes over a whole country? Fat chance. I've already got some experience with one power-hungry dictator trying to take a nation over. You need my help, you've got it."
"Same goes for me," said Chirps. "Like the pig and the bird, I was used. Wasn't given the full scoop. I'm a mercenary, not a terrorist. Still got standards. Mind you, I don't work for free. Long as you just promise to give me a fair cut when you get back the kingdom, I'm in. Innie and outtie. Out of the ballpark. Take me out to the okay I'll shut up now."
"Well," said Manic, "me and Sonia already said our piece, didn't we, Sonia?"
"Sure did," said Sonia. "Besides, I still haven't found out anything about my Dad. Until I do, you haven't seen the last of me. And that's a promise. Well, Sonic?", she said, turning to the blue blur. "You still haven't as much as made a peep. I'd figure you'd be the first one to jump on the bandwagon."
Sonic was sulking in the corner as though he just wasn't sure what wagon he should even be on. All he knew was that he couldn't save him. He wasn't fast enough. He certainly wasn't fast enough to beat Eggman. He hadn't delivered on a single promise he'd made to Sally. So the question was, just what good was he?
"Yeah," said Sonic, "I'm in." He said it half-heartedly, as he wasn't really sure if he even SHOULD be in. For the first time in his life, Sonic was standing still. "And about your Dad, Sonia? We've got to talk."
Sally wasn't a fool. She could see just how Sonic was feeling. But she didn't have the heart to face him. She knew it wasn't his fault, but the fact was, even if she knew it wouldn't be easy as he said it would be, he couldn't save her father. He knew she couldn't blame him, that he still tried. But still. She just couldn't. Not now. "Thank you, everyone. With all of us standing together, we may just stand a chance. As Freedom Fighters."
At that, everyone except for Shortfuse, Tekno, and Sonic pumped their fists into the air shouting "FOR FREEDOM!" at the top of their lungs. Though even Sally only did so after everyone else decided to start a trend.
"For Freedom," she said. "That said, we still have a long way ahead of us, though our first stop along the way is Knothole Forest. I'll be with you all in a moment." She walked down from the top of the hill, but as she did so, her steps slowed, the weight of it all once again crashing in.
Bunnie hopped on over to Sally as she moved away from the others, trying to get as far away as possible as they started talking amongst themselves. "What's wrong Sugar?"
"Bunnie…" Sally's eyes were starting to well up like a fine mist. She'd tried to hold it in, to be the strong leader they all needed her to be, but right here and right now, it just wasn't enough.
"Oh, girl. Come on, sugar." Bunnie gave Sally a soft, simple hug, like a big sister comforting her younger sibling. "Just let it all out, girl."
And she did just that.
