"Are we there yet?"
Sonic had been racing with Sally and the others for the last several hours, though it felt like days. Even since they entered the bridge zone, there had been nothing but bridge after bridge amongst a sea of bridges. Or there might as well have been.
Truth be told, it was a bit more complicated that. Much of the scenery was made of large, blocky, thick and brown criss-cross stones jutting out of the ocean and covered with grass like subpar monuments. They were all connected with an extensive network of bridges, going anywhere from straight ahead to curving upwards to leading down into the seas below. Not that Sonic cared just now. He liked a good run more than anyone, but at this point it was starting to get repetitive. Even for him.
"Not quite," said Sally. She'd been riding along on one of the souped-up bikes Rotor had built. Tails, Big, and Sticks had all been doing the same, though even they were starting to get a bit tired. In any case, Sally had been thoroughly absorbed in a map of the Bridge Zone they picked up from Harvey on their way out. It told them everything they wanted to know about the Bridge Zona and then some. With any luck, it would lead them right to their destination.
"Of course not," said Sonic. "Why would we be?"
"No need to be so snitty."
"Sorry. It's just with everything going on, I'm getting kinda antsy, ya know? I like running as much as the next guy, but I gotta mix it up sometimes."
"Well, with any luck, you'll be able to soon enough. Though I sort of get where you're coming from. I love to just sit down and read a good book, but it does get boring after a while."
"Ditto. Though to be honest, runnin' with you? It ain't so bad."
Sally stopped her bike for just a moment, her entire face growing red like a beet under her fur. "Uh, thanks, Sonic. Anyway, if I'm reading this right, Ebony's house should be right over there." She pointed towards a long bridge leading to a tall, wide block of stone in the distance. Sitting atop it in the middle was a small wooden shack that had seen better days.
"You really think a sorceress is gonna be living in that dump?" said Sonic.
"That's what Harvey says. If he's right, then she should be right in that shack."
"Honestly, I'm still not really sure about this," said Tails. He had flown up to get a better view of the shack, though he still couldn't see it any better up in the sky than down below. He quickly flew back towards the ground, landing near Sally as he did. "I mean, I get that you're desperate, Sally. I really do. If it were my dad that was trapped, I'd want to do anything to save him. But I don't think magic's the way to do it. I'm not even sure it exists."
"Oh, come on!" said Sticks. "Of course magic exists! If it weren't for magic, Lord Fluffybuns wouldn't be able to come down and grace us with his fluffy presence, would he?"
"Sticks," said Sally," "try to tone down down the paranoia, will you? Or at least when we're on a mission."
"Hey, I'm not paranoid! I'm just being overly cautious. Besides, it's not paranoia when they're really out to get you!"
"If you say so." She turned to Tails, kneeling down as she put a hand on his shoulder. Tails barely noticed, or if he did, he didn't seem to care. "Look, sweety. I'm not going to tell you what you should or shouldn't believe. But the fact is, everything we've tried to bring Daddy back has failed. Nothing's worked. So if there's even a chance that's how we can get Daddy back, then that's what we're going to do."
Tails took a moment before making his choice. "Okay. I'm still not sure this is a good idea, but if you still want to try it, then I'm with you one hundred percent."
"Same here." Big had been standing behind the others, almost as silent as the grave. "Let's just say I've seen some stuff that would make your eyes go white. And some of it ain't all that easy to explain. So I guess I'm a believer."
"Thanks, everyone," said Sally. "Well, I suppose the only thing left to do is head on over and hope for the best. Let's get going, shall we?"
Sonny tapped his foot as he waited for everyone to get off their bikes before racing on ahead. Everyone else slowly made their way across the bridge, watching their steps as they went along. The bridge started to buckle and sway as Big began to lumber across, leaving everyone to wonder if they weren't going to fall into the ravine below.
"Whoops! Sorry 'bout that," said Big.
"It's okay Big," said Sally. "That said, why don't you wait until the rest of us have crossed? We want to make sure we all get there in one piece. No offense."
"Hey, no problem. You just let me know when you're all over there."
And so she did. In short order, Sally and the others made it safely across the bridge, leaving Big to stumble along and hope he didn't crash through the boards to his death. The boards creaked and bent with every step he made, but he walked just lightly enough to keep them intact. He soon managed to make it without once falling into the drink.
Sally sighed as she wiped small beads of sweat from her forehead before turning towards the shack. "Okay, people. This is it."
"Honestly," said Sonic, "I'm kind of with my lil bro on this one. I'm not sure if this is gonna work either. But if you still wanna go through with this, that's fine by me."
"Thanks, Sonic," said Sally. "But we've already made it this far. We're not turning back now."
"Wait a minute!" said Sticks. "You don't know what's in there! For all you know, there could be a—"
"Sticks," said Sally, "what did I say about the paranoia?"
Sticks crossed her shoulders almost as if offended. "Hey, this ain't paranoia! Or at least not as much paranoia. Hobgoblins of the forgotten and ghosts of the damned aside, you don't know what could be in there. For all we know, whoever or whatever's in there might not really like someone just waltzing in out of the blue."
"She's right, you know," said Big. "Small shacks in the middle of nowhere are never a good sign."
"Hey," said Sonic, "if you're all that worried, why don't you let me just take a quick look through the window? I'll be in and out before they even know I'm there!"
Sally briefly pondered whether or not this was the correct course of action, but figured it was better than going in half-cocked. "Alright. But if there is someone in there, try and make sure they don't see you."
"Sure thing!" Like a flash, he was gone. And just as quickly, he was back. "Okay, I think someone's in there, but I'm really sure who. Looks like a few Mobians, but that was about all I could make out before I hoofed it. They don't look like they're vicious monsters or anything, so they've got that going for 'em."
"In that case, I guess the only thing we can do knock."
"They're gonna skin us alive," said Sticks, "I swear."
Everyone ignored Sticks as though she hadn't said a word as they headed over to the shack. Upon closer inspection, it wasn't actually that bad to look at. Yes, it was a shack, but for a shack, it was in pretty good shape. There weren't any falling or missing planks, all the window were clear and pristine, and it even had a brand new coat of paint. It was more like a cottage than anything.
On top of that, there were also several shrubs sitting next to the shack, surprisingly well trimmed. For a moment, Sonic could swear he saw one of them move, but after pondering it for a moment figured he must have just been seeing things. He just hoped this wasn't going to bite him in the rear.
"Huh,' said Tails. "This actually looks a lot more pristine than when we first saw it. It's more like a cottage than a shack."
"Maybe it was just too far away to get a good look?" said Sonic.
"Maybe," said Sally. "Or maybe appearances can be deceiving. Back when Naugus was still around, he had a habit of making one thing look like another. Just when you thought you were walking down an empty corridor, you instead nearly ran smack dab into a brick wall."
"Sounds like he had a sick sense of humor," said Sonic.
"Maybe. But the point is if he could pull off something like that, then maybe that's what's going on here."
"Possibly," said Tails. "Assuming it just doesn't look a bit different up close then far away. Either way, we still need to check them out."
"Right. Here goes nothing." Sally took a deep breath before forming a fist and knocking firmly on the door. Then they waited. And waited. And waited still. But nobody came.
"I know they're in there," said Sonic. "Maybe they just don't like strangers?"
Suddenly the door opened with a creek. Standing in the doorway was a small Mobian dressed in nothing but plaid pajamas. She was an old little sheep with a hunched back, and her head kept on bobbing up and down every few seconds as though she were at a constant risk of nodding off. She stood for about a minute without saying a word, leaving everyone to wonder the obvious.
"Hey, is she dead?" said Sticks.
Not that anyone else would say it.
Suddenly she came to life with a shudder and a yelp, her head darting to and fro as she tried to get a hold on her surroundings. "Whazzat?! That you, Gaea? When are you gonna pay me back that fifty cents you deadbeat?!"
Against her better judgment, Sally stepped forward as she extended her hand, hoping she could make some sense out of this mess. "Hello there! I'm Princess Sally of the Acorn Kingdom. Is there an Ebony Black living here?"
The old sheep almost began to nod off again until Big stomped the ground with his foot, giving just enough force to wake her out of her near slumber. "Not at liberty to say. I think. Me wanna go sleepy now…"
Just as the sheep was about to nod off for good, a tall manx rushed in, pushing back her ponytail as she tossed Pyjamas out of the way. She was dressed in nothing but a pair of red hotpants and a tank top that didn't leave much to the imagination, almost as though she wasn't used to dressing for appearances. "Hey there! Sorry about that! Pyjamas isn't that bad, but she can be kind of spacey, ya know? Anyway, you must be here to see Ebony, right?"
"Now that you mention it," said Sally "yes we are. And you would be?"
"Oh, sorry! Guess I didn't introduce myself! Name's Tiara Boobowski, Ebony's apprentice!"
"Psst!", whispered Sticks. "We gotta get out of here now! Apprentices are bad news! They always want to kill their masters and take their power for themselves! With everyone around them as the casualties! We don't get out, it's certain death!"
Sally ignored Stick's ramblings as she said her piece. "Well, like I told your friend, I'm Sally, Princess of the Acorn Kingdom."
"Princess? Well I'll be! How about that?" Suddenly the gears in her brain started to click as though her thought processes had suddenly started working. "Wait a minute. This doesn't have to do with Eggman, does it?"
"Now that you mention it, yes it does. We'd like to ask your master a favor. We're willing to do anything in return, or at least within reason."
"I dunno. Ebony's fine with just about anything else, but Eggman gives her the willies. Or at least makes her a lot more cautious."
"Well, can you at least tell her why we're here?"
"Oh, I believe that's fairly self-evident." A deep echo could be heard all around Sonic and the others. Everyone looked up and around, attempting to find where the echo had come from. But as much as they tried, they couldn't see a thing beyond what was already there. Suddenly a black cat crossed their paths, right in the middle of the entryway. She appeared in a flash of black smoke that lasted only for the briefest of moments before clearing out, not it stopped everyone from trying to wave the smoke away as quick as they could. "Yeesh, teach'!" said Tiara. "Do you always have to make such a flashy entrance?"
The cat was dressed in a purple robe with white highlights that ran all the way down to her ankles, splitting apart at the waist to allow her full use of her hips. Her fur was black as ebony and her sharp eyes were as yellow as a Hunter's Moon. A long, bushy tail steadily swished back and forth, almost as if gaging the general mood.
She stared at Sally, almost as if gazing into her soul before she pulled away. "I don't believe we've had the pleasure. My name is Ebony. Ebony Black. And you are?"
Sally blinked a moment before hastily adjusting her vest and combing back her hair with her hand. "It's a pleasure to meet you. I'm Sally Acorn, princess of the Acorn Kingdom and—"
"Yes, I believe I've heard of you. Although if the rumors are correct, you're currently without a kingdom. Or at least a capital."
"Yes, that's one way of putting it. But that's also the reason I'm here." She then told Ebony everything. About Eggman. About the loss of the capital. And of her father. "So you see, we're kind of out ideas at this point. Everything we've done to try and find Daddy and pull him out of wherever Eggman sent him has blown up in our faces. But we figured that if science couldn't help-"
"Then maybe magic could. I see. Please come in, will you?" She ushered Sally and the others into her abode. Astonishingly, it was bigger on the inside than the outside. It was more of a small mansion than a cottage. It still wasn't incredibly lavish, but neither was it some poor little shack.
Rows of shelves filled with books on subjects ranging anywhere from magic to cooking to of all things trashy romance novels dotted the walls while various artifacts and baubles were placed up above for all to see. A winding spiral staircase led up to another floor, filled with doorways leading to one room after another. There was a long table covered with a purple tablecloth right in the middle of the first floor, with just enough chairs for everyone to sit. Placed in the middle of the table was a large green orb, presumably for decoration. Though if Ebony was all she was cracked up to be, it may well have been more than just that.
"Please," said Ebony," make yourselves at home." She waved her fingers. Suddenly, all of the chairs moved away from the table, giving just enough room for everyone to take a seat. Needless to say, this turned more than a few heads.
Tails rubbed his eyes as he tried to make sense out of what he just saw. "Those chairs were always there, right? They had to be. They were, weren't they?"
"'Fraid not," said Tiara. "Trust me, you'll get used to it."
"Don't worry 'bout it, bro," said Sonic. "If it's magic, it's magic. Simple as that." He sped over to his seat and plopped in his chair, eager to get this show on the road. Everyone else soon followed suit.
"Now," said Ebony, "about your father. I believe you're expecting me to just whip up some magical vortex and pull him out like finding a needle in a haystack. Is that correct?"
"Well, I'm sure that magic is a much more complicated process than some make it out to be, but if I'm going to be honest, yes, I was. If only because I'm that desperate."
"I see. Well, let me tell you something first, Princess. Magic is not the be-all end-all. It is not some all-powerful solution that can do anything you wish whenever you wish, and there are some things that are nigh impossible to do. Or at the very least quite a bit harder than they have any right to be. Such as rescuing someone from another dimension. Do you know just where Doctor Eggman sent him by any chance?"
"Not exactly. We have an idea of the kind of place he may have been sent to, but we haven't been able to find him. And even if we could, we're still not sure we could get him out."
Ebony pinched her brow almost as if out of exasperation. "Why am I not surprised?"
"Hey," said Big, "at least she tried. Whereas far as I can tell, you've just been sitting pretty in this cottage. Even if you didn't know about him, the least you could've done is pitch in."
"Big," said Sally, "please…"
"No," said Ebony, "it's quite alright. What you say is true. I haven't really done much, have I? And perhaps I should have. Perhaps I should have done more. I was actually at the Capital you know. The day it happened. I used to run a cafe there with Tiara and Pyjamas. It wasn't much, but we got by. Mind you, even before Eggman took over, I could see the signs. There were more and more robots roaming the streets, with more and more power being given to Eggman by the day. I actually tried to warn you. I attempted to speak with the king. Tried to get him to see the end result of all this, even perhaps show him a vision of the future so that he might stray from his path. But I was refused an audience. And Eggman conquered the capital just as I thought he would."
She waved her fingers again, this time conjuring herself a glass of tea. The cup floated to her hand before she took a sip, almost with as much grace as royalty. "In short, I knew what was coming, and I attempted to stop it before it began. But my pleas were unheard on the grounds of what I could only assume to be stubbornness and pride. And just a few weeks later, the Capital was doomed. I was able to make it out with Tiara and Pyjamas, but most were not so fortunate. So forgive me if I'm somewhat reluctant to help the man who couldn't bother to see the obvious."
As Ebony said her piece, Pyjamas and Tiara had been handing out cups of tea, if somewhat haphazardly. Sally was drinking hers with the grace of royalty but almost choked on a sip when Ebony dared to make a crack about her father. And yet, as upset as she was, Ebony might have had a point.
"Are you implying that my father was indirectly responsible for what happened to the Capital?" said Sally.
"Honestly, I would have thought you would come to that conclusion yourself. Or did being the crown princess blind you to the obvious?"
Sally slowly put down her teacup before looking Ebony square in the eyes. "Look. I can understand where you're coming from. Perhaps Daddy should have been a bit more attentive. Perhaps he should have swallowed his pride and given you an audience. Perhaps he should have done a lot of things. But don't you dare insult Daddy like that again."
"I wasn't insulting anyone. I was merely stating the probable facts. At least as I understand them."
"In that case, you can take your facts and shove them up your—"
"Whoa, hey!" Big had just finished his large mug before pounding down on the table, hoping to keep Sally and Ebony from tearing each other apart. "Let's all chill a second, okay? No need to go dissing anyone's families here." He glared at Ebony. "Especially you."
Ebony sighed as though admitting defeat. "I suppose I was a tad harsh."
"Ya think?" said Sonic. "Look, I won't pretend like I know everything that was going on before I came to this place. Before I came here, I was going wherever I pleased. Never really stayed in one place for too long. But if there's one thing I know, it's that you can't get too worked up about the past. Maybe the King wasn't attentive enough, maybe he should've looked at Eggman a bit more, but either way, it's mute. What happened happened. Only thing you can do now is focus on what you're gonna do next. Or else you're just gonna drive yourself nuts."
"He's right, ya know," said Big. "What's important is the here and now. Everything else can wait till we send Eggman packing."
"Thank you, Big," said Sally. "And you too, Sonic. Ebony, as I said, I understand where you're coming from. I really do. I actually tried to warn Daddy before Eggman made his move. I told him about the growing number of SWATbots and Troopers. I told him that he was too trusting with Eggman, too naive. I urged him to do something about him, anything! But all he did was send me. And I guess it was too little, too late. If I'd talked to Daddy a month or maybe even a week before he started his attacks, maybe I could've done something. But it wasn't enough. And now we're paying the price."
"Come on, Sally!" said Tails. "You tried. That has to count for something. Besides, if it weren't for you, we probably wouldn't be here. Or at least not all together like this. Maybe you couldn't have stopped Eggman before he took over the Capital, but we can still stop him before he takes over anything else!"
"Thanks, Tails," said Sally. I really appreciate it."
As Tails spoke, Ebony took a good long look at the little two-tailed genius. Almost as if remembering someone she had tried to forget. "Excuse me, but what is your name again?"
"Uh, Tails. Sort of. Tails is a nickname I made up to sound a bit cooler. 'Miles Prower' doesn't have the same ring to it, does it?"
"'Prower'? You wouldn't happen to have an uncle, would you?"
"Honestly, I'm not sure. My parents said I had one, but he hasn't been seen in so long I'm not even sure they were telling the truth."
"I see. Let's table that for now, shall we?" Ebony's sharp, bright green eyes narrowed as she turned to Sally. She took a moment to take a prolonged sip of her tea, almost observing Sally as she did. "If I may be candid, I almost thought that you wouldn't be so different from your father when you came knocking on my door. But perhaps I was mistaken."
" ," said Sally, "I love my father. I truly do. But even I know he made some mistakes. And as his daughter, it's up to me to fix them."
"Are you sure? That's putting quite a lot on yourself. Are you truly willing to bear the burden of not only saving the capital but also correcting your father's mistakes?"
"Well, if we can save Daddy, maybe I won't have to worry about that just yet. But if I have to, well, I'm honestly not sure if I can. But I have to try."
"I see. In that case, I believe my mind's made up."
Sally's hands started to grip her teacup as though she almost couldn't bear to hear the results. "And?"
"Well, it's quite obvious, isn't it? I suppose I've no choice but to help."
Sally nearly jumped out of her vest before managing to constrain herself. "You really mean it?!"
"Please, child. If you're supposed to be a princess, act like it. But yes, I will help you. The king may have been an ignorant relic, but you may be the future this kingdom needs. And I suppose I can't let someone suffer when I am able to ease that suffering."
"Oh thank you thank you THANK YOU!"
"What did I just say about acting the part?"
"Hey, give her a break," said Sonic. "You just said you'd help her get her father back! If it were me, I'd be jumping too."
"You aren't the next in line for the throne. She is. And depending on what shape the king is in when we find him or even if we find him, she may have to take his place sooner than later."
"Smooth," muttered Big. "No pressure."
"Wait a minute," said Sally. She slowly rose from her chair, her eyes filling with fear and dread. "'If' we find him? What's that supposed to be mean?"
"Princess Acorn—"
"Just Sally, please."
"Very well. To put it bluntly, 'Just Sally', when someone has gone where your father has likely gone, there isn't much chance of them coming back. Much less surviving the trip in the first place. But that doesn't mean there isn't a chance. I will still make every effort I can to find him, but there is a considerable possibility that he isn't to be found and it is one you may have to face."
"You know," said Sonic, "there's being a realist and then there's being a pessimist."
"Actually," said Tails, "I think I'll have to agree with Ebony on this one. The odds of finding the specific dimension Eggman sent the King to are slim enough as is, but who knows if he's still alive. I mean, for all we know, he could be—"
Suddenly, Sally began to sniffle as she wiped away a teary mist from her eyes. She tried to keep it from coming as much as she could, but even Sonic could see it was all she could do to stay standing.
"Hey, kiddo," whispered Big. "Ease up, will ya?"
Tails realized at once just what he had done and began to apologize profusely. Sonic supposed even a genius could make mistakes. "Sorry, Sally. I guess I wasn't really thinking."
"It's alright, Tails." Sally wiped away most of the tears, her fur drying up the last of them. She turned back to Ebony, barely managing to keep more tears from pouring out of her sockets before facing her head on. "You're right. You all are. Maybe there isn't much of a chance of saving Daddy. Maybe it's all just hopeless. But I have to try. Because he means more to me than anything. And anyone who has a problem with that can take it up with me. Understand?"
"Well said," said Ebony. "Perhaps you do have what it takes to follow in your father's footsteps. Or even surpass him."
"Honestly, that is the farthest thing from my mind. All I care about is saving Daddy, taking back the Capital, and kicking Eggman out of my kingdom. Until I've done all three of those things, I'm not even going to think about the throne."
"Fair enough. In any case, you have my word that I will do whatever it takes to locate and free your father. Although given how long that will take, I suppose it wouldn't be prudent to stay here. I trust you don't mind us moving in with you for a while?"
Sally was almost ecstatic. She had wanted to see if Ebony was the real deal ask her to help find Daddy if she could, but actually joining them at Knothole? That was more than she could have hoped for. "Are you sure? Don't get me wrong, I'd really appreciate it, but—"
"I'm always sure. I almost never make a decision without being sure. Being a magician helps with that tremendously. In any case, locating your father and opening a portal to retrieve him is going to take a week at the very least. And working on something like that for so long in plain sight is just asking for trouble. Besides, I've sat this out for far too long. It's high past time I rose to the occasion."
By this point, Sonic was getting somewhat bored. He was doing his best to stay alert, but he was starting to tap his foot with greater and greater frequency until it was almost vibrating. "So, no offense, but this does mean we're done here?"
"Well," said Sally, "we did come here to see if Ebony could help us, and she is! So unless something pops up out of the blue—"
Ebony and Tiara suddenly jumped up out of their seats. Their eyes were narrowed and focused, almost as though they were vicious hunters searching for their prey. Big soon sat up as well, his ears pricking as though he could sense something most others couldn't. It wasn't quite the same as Ebony and Tiara's ferocity or awareness, but he was still more serious and attentive than Sonic had ever seen him.
"Ebony?" said Sally. "Big?! What's going on?"
"Quiet!" said Ebony. "Something isn't right." She slowly began to look around as though searching for something or someone until her eyes settled straight next to the door. And Tiara and Big's did the same. "Someone's here."
Suddenly a canister of mustard gas was lobbed through the open window. It let out its' contents upon impact and spread through the cottage like wildfire, chocking everyone within. Ebony and Tiara attempted to conjure up some sort of spell to nullify it, perhaps try to get everyone out of there, but they were too busy coughing up their lungs to do much of anything.
That just left Sonic. He was starting to cough a bit too, but he couldn't afford to let himself succumb. Because if he did, everyone else was toast. He zipped straight outside for the briefest of moments to breath and get one big gulp of fresh air before heading back in.
By the time he made it back, most everyone had fallen to the floor, though Big was still standing. He was trying to haul everyone over his shoulder and carry them to safety, but even for someone with large lungs like Big, it was still a risky proposition. Sonic raced over to him and gave him a thumbs up before waving him off. He then picked everyone else up and zipped them outside before they could take another gulp of the gas. Big was the last to come out, lumbering and nearly suffocating all the while, though he still managed to make it.
"Hold on there, people!" Sonic zoomed around everyone like a whirlwind, trying his best to clear out any leftover gas still around Sally and the others. He couldn't afford to do it for long, not without lifting everyone up in a miniature twister, but hopefully it would still help. Before long, everyone's coughing fits began to cease before halting altogether. They were still a bit worse for wear, their eyes pink and blurry and their lungs hoarse and raw, but they managed to make it.
"Thanks, Sonic," whispered Sally. She'd managed to get back up on her feet, but that was probably about all she could get out until the gas wore out some more. She gave him a brief yet intense hug. Judging by the look on her face, she surprised even herself. And Sonic was slowly starting to realize that maybe Sally was a bit more than a friend.
Unfortunately, that still left them with one glaring question. Or rather two. Who tossed the mustard gas into Ebony's home? And why would they do such a thing? Sonic attempted to think about it, to try and figure out if anyone they knew was capable of such a thing, but unfortunately for him, his brainpower simply wasn't up to the task.
Not that anyone cared. Just as everyone started to get their bearings, there was a loud click from behind. Sonic whirled around in a flash. Surprisingly, it wasn't anyone he knew. Standing close to the edge of the bushes and dressed in a cowboy hat was a small grey weasel carrying two laser pistols, one in each hand. And one of them was pointed straight at Sonic's forehead.
"Mornin, mate. Name's Nack. And this one's got your name on it."
