Chapter 27
The Week Before
Rated T
A/N: This chapter drifts away from the main story. At first, it was only supposed to branch from the main plot for a few paragraphs further on down, but I had so much fun writing it, I decided to leave it in. I hope you all have as much fun reading it as I did crafting it.
"That was quick." Sonic said as Sally walked in. "Quick? We were gone three hours." She said. Sonic looked at the clock and saw she was right. "Wow. Time flies when you're working." He said as he sat down on the couch. "Where's Cream?"
"She went back home. We managed to get most of the stuff we needed, but we had to order it so it should be in sometime in the next few days. The rest we can pick up a day or two before the wedding. So what did you do while I was gone?"
"I managed to get my vows done."
"Really?" Sally asked. He nodded. "Can I see them?" She asked, moving closer to him. Sonic had them in his hands and he pulled them away from her quickly, putting them behind his back. "Nuh, nuh, uh. Not until Sunday." He laughed. "You're no fun." She said, laughing as well. He went into the bedroom and stuck them in the nightstand next to his side of the bed and she walked around and sat down beside him. When he opened the drawer, she noticed a few more pieces of paper lying inside. Wonder what those are? She thought as he closed the drawer back up.
"So do you think we'll have everything by Sunday?" Sonic asked.
"I hope so. You'd think with just ten people coming, it'd be easy." Sally said.
Four Days To Go
"I don't see why I have to leave now." Sonic said, grabbing the bag he packed with a few changes of clothes as well as his pills and his suit, which was hanging from a hook in the rear of the car. "It's tradition." Sally said, kissing him. "But this far away from the date? I always heard it was just the night before." He argued. The last three days had been a blur; every day seemed to run into the other.
"Look at it this way, when we see each other again, it'll be that much more special." Sally said. Sonic was going to spend the next few nights with Tails, while Cream would stay with Sally to get the wedding set up. Sonic went out and tossed his bag into the trunk and she drove him over to Tails' house and picked Cream up. Over the next few days, the plan was that her and Cream would hammer out the finite details of the wedding, pick everything up and Cream would set the wedding up the day before.
Before she drove off, Sonic leaned into the window and gave her one last kiss. "See you on Sunday." He said. "Love you."
"Love you too." Sally replied and she drove off. Tails walked outside and gave Sonic a hug. "Guess it's just going to be you and me for the next couple of days." Tails said. "Yeah. Just like old times, eh?" Sonic said and they walked into the house. As they walked inside, Sonic set his bag on the couch and if he didn't know where he was, he wouldn't have recognized the place. "What the hell happened in here?" Sonic asked, looking around. The last time he had went inside Tails' house, it was almost bare. Now it had some furniture.
"Oh, this?" Tails asked, waving a finger around the room. "That was Cream's idea." He said. Sonic hadn't been in Tails' place in a good stretch of time and the last time he saw the inside, the house was pretty much bare. Being an inventor and of the scientific mind, Tails didn't see much use for furniture unless it was involved with his lab. "She thought it was a little bare, so she decided to decorate. But I told her 'Do what you want to the house, just leave my lab alone.'"
"So, that's still your inner sanctum?" Sonic asked. Tails nodded. "I still spend some of my time down there, but not as much as I did."
Sonic went into the kitchen and scoured the fridge, then realized where he was and closed the door. "Sorry." Sonic said. "Don't worry about it. My place is your place. You know that." Tails said. Sonic opened the fridge again and grabbed a soda. Tails held his hand up and Sonic grabbed one for him too. It was Cola, which he wasn't supposed to have, but he felt like a change. He went into the living room and sat down and Tails joined him. "So, what're we doing tonight?" Sonic asked. "Thought I'd order a pizza tonight, watch a movie." Tails said. "You know, take it easy."
"Cool. What's the movie?" Sonic asked. Tails picked up a DVD case off the table beside the couch. "Kick Puncher 5." He said, grinning and nodding. (Hate to borrow from Community, but it popped into my head. Plus it's an awesome show.) "Sweet." Sonic said.
"Then on Saturday, we'll have your bachelor party." Tails said, getting up and putting the movie into the DVD player. "I still find it odd calling it a bachelor party since I haven't been a bachelor for a long time." Tails shrugged. "Call it 'A Last Hurrah' then. Me, Shadow and Knuckles already have it planned out."
"And that is?" Sonic asked. "We're gonna do what people do at every one of those things. We're gonna get drunk and watch porn." He said. "What?" Sonic asked.
Tails had a serious look on his face, then started laughing. "I'm just messing with you." He said. "You know I can't drink." He said and calmly took a drink of his soda.
What the hell? "You're serious?" Sonic asked. "Yeah." Tails said, pushing a button on the remote; the movie started going through the previews. "Eeh, got ya." Tails said, laughing.
Sonic laughed with him. "I thought you were serious." It was impossible to tell with Tails. "I can't believe you fell for that one." He took another drink of his soda. "No. That'd just be weird. Four guys gathering together in a dark room to watch strangers go at it? That's just..." Tails shuddered.
Sonic laughed. "Yeah. Then everyone kinds sneaks off for a minute, then comes back like nothing's wrong. But everyone knows what really happened."
"And you know that how?" Tails asked, slowly looking over at Sonic. He just laughed. "Let's just watch the movie."
Later That Night
"All right, bro. See you in the morning." Sonic said as Tails walked back to his room. "See you in the morning." Tails said and shut the door to his room. Sonic lay down on the couch, and grabbed his phone and dialed Sally's number. Hope she's still awake. He thought as the phone rang.
"Hello?" Sally said.
"Hey." Sonic said when she answered. "You weren't asleep, were you?"
"No. I was getting ready to. So what's going on with you?"
"Same as you. Just thought I'd give you a call before I crashed for the night."
"So what'd you guys do tonight?"
"Watched a movie, pizza. Just hung out. What about you and Cream? Did you guys get anymore done on the wedding?"
"We got most of the stuff we ordered. The rest of it should be here tomorrow. Sonic heard Sally let out a sigh. "I just wish Mom and Dad were still here." She said. "I know. I miss them too." Sonic chimed in.
"I'm gonna go. I'm pretty tired. I'll talk to you tomorrow. Love you." "Love you too. Night." Sonic hung the phone up and laid it on the end table behind his head and shut his eyes.
It had been over three years since Sally's parents, who were King and Queen up until their deaths, were great people, caring and friendly to everybody. Coming from royalty and living in the oldest castle that dated back over 1000 years in Mobius history, she was first in line to succeed the throne and when Sally first introduced Sonic and Tails to them, both of them thought they were going to be a couple of stuck up snobs. But they were just like Sally and welcomed them like he was their own son. One day, Robotnik launched a surprise attack on the castle in an attempt to rule Mobius. They knew he had plans to try something, but they didn't know when.
The King and Queen had decided to launch a surprise attack on Robotnik, but thanks to one of his spies that he had sent to infiltrate the castle, the King and Queen were directed toward one of Robotnik's old abandoned hideouts. When they brought up concerns that he hadn't been there for over two years, Robotnik's spy convinced them that he might've started using it again in an attempt to fool their scouts. The spy convinced the King and Queen that he would be expecting them to hit one of his other hideouts and the King, in an attempt to take him out for good, sent over three-quarters of his guard to take Robotnik down, leaving a quarter of the castle's forces behind. Sonic and Tails, having massive experience battling him, urged the King to send them along with his forces and the King agreed and they set out for Robotnik's hideout, which was a day away by foot.
Robotnik bided his time, waiting for the perfect opportunity to strike. That night, he made his move. Sally remembered it well. She had accompanied Sonic on some of the missions he had been given. Her Mother and Father both forbade her from going out on such dangerous missions, but she never listened. Sally felt as part of the Royal family, she should be doing something more than just be a Princess. She was as strong willed as her mother was, but that night, she wished she had been at the castle. As they prepared to break down the door to the hideout Robotnik had supposedly holed up in, Sonic, Tails and Sally got word that the castle was under attack.
It was an early morning raid, the castle security and automated defense systems had been hacked and disabled by his spy. Robotnik's forces swept in and clashed with what security forces remained in the castle. The call went out to Sonic, Tails and Sally and they all began to head back to the castle to defend it and Sonic went ahead of them, having the advantage of speed. Unfortunately, even at a full run, it took him an hour to reach the castle, it was too late. He arrived just as the castle's security forces pushed them back. It turned out, Robotnik wasn't even trying to take the throne. He was just trying to throw the kingdom into chaos, which he finally succeeded.
The King had died in the castle's courtyard, trying to fight off Robotnik's hoard, and the Queen died from an explosion. The castle was home to about 300 people, and when the attack began, she and a few others began escorting the children in the castle to a safe room in the basement and as the last of the children made it in the room, the Queen had just started shutting the large steel doors when she saw the Bot aim it's weapon at the steel doors. It saw an easy kill, and the Queen in an unselfish act for her people, shut the doors and just as they sealed shut, the Bot fired a bomb at the doors, killing her instantly, but saving the lives of 60 children and 12 adults in the process.
Following the traditional three-day mourning period, the King and Queen in royal tradition, were supposed to be given a Royal funeral. But, in their will, they wanted it kept simple. The reasoning behind that was, none of the citizens of Mobius could afford the type funeral that had been planned for them, so why should they make it seem like they were better than everyone else? They both requested a simple, private funeral and they were granted one. There was a public memorial a few days afterward and their funeral was planned a week later. Sally, Sonic, Tails and a few of the King and Queen's closest friends and family were present, as well as the castle staff.
Afterwards, Sally was introduced as the new Queen, and she made it her mission to hunt down Robotnik, which she did. He was captured a few years later, ironically by the same plan drawn up by her parents. It was successful and he was tried and, in a punishment that hadn't been handed down in Mobius in over 100 years, sentenced to die for the murders of the King and Queen. When he was taken down to the castle's jail to confront him, the guards had been having their 'fun' with him. He had his fare share of bruises and a large gash on his forehead where one of the guards had cracked him over the head with his nightstick.
When she saw this, Sally, instead of smiling gleefully at what had happened to the man who had been tormenting the citizens of Mobius over the years, she called out for a Doctor. "Milady! What're you doing?" The head guard demanded. The nightstick he was holding still had a bit of Robotnik's blood on the tip of it. "Don't you know what this man did? He killed the King and Queen! He deserves-"
"Shut up!" She barked. The other guards snapped to attention as her voice echoed through the halls. The Doctor that had been called rushed in and began to treat Robotnik, although he did so reluctantly. "What the hell is wrong with you?" She demanded.
"But milady, he killed your parents." He said nervously. "He doesn't deserve-" "Quiet!" Sally was furious. "I don't need you reminding me of that!" She snapped. The Doctor finished examining Robotnik and stood up. "Milady, other than a few cuts, bruises and the gash on his forehead, he'll be fine." The Doctor said. Sally nodded. "Put him in his cell." She said. Two of the guards nodded and quickly put Robotnik back in his cell.
"If my Mother and Father were here, do you think they'd approve of you beating a defenseless man?" Sally asked. "But, milady. It's what he deserves." The guard said.
Sally glared at Robotnik through the iron bars in his cell. "I'd be lying if I said he doesn't deserve it, but, do you think my parents would approve of what you've done, even if that person were him?" She asked, pointing at Robotnik. "No milady." The guard answered, looking down on the floor.
"No, they wouldn't. They wouldn't approve of this kind of treatment on anyone, and I don't approve of it either. He may be a... horrible monster, but he's going to get a fair trial and the proper punishment." She turned toward the guard and he backed up from her. "As punishment for what you've done, I am suspending you for three weeks without pay." That was one of the hardest orders she ever had to give. It was insane; stop beating a man who has killed God only knows how many people including her parents, give him medical treatment, and punish the guards who were getting revenge. Yeah, that made sense.
"Milady-" the guard protested, but she glared at him again. "Do you want to go for four?" She asked. He shook his head no. "Good." She said. The guard hung his head and left Sally with the three remaining guards. "You there!" She demanded, pointing at one of the guards. "Milady!"
"Call for replacements." She ordered. "Milady?"
"You heard me. You three are excused for the day and your pay is suspended for the next two days for this little incident. Is that clear?" She demanded. They nodded without saying a word and the guard called for their replacements.
The whole time, Robotnik, who had been watching the whole thing unfold, began laughing. "What's so funny?" Sally asked him. "Oh, princess. You remind me of your mother." His voice was cold, calculating and dark. "So kind, even to those who don't deserve it. In fact, you're just like her, saving the weak from the strong." He smiled, his thin moustache turning upward with the grin that formed on his face. "You know, there was a camera on the bot that killed your mother." He said, his voice calm.
"Shut up." She growled. "I saw the whole thing." The expression on his face took on a sad expression. "I watched as the bot locked on to that door as the last of those innocent people went scurrying for protection, your mother trying desperately to secure their safety."
"Stop it!" Sally demanded, tears steaming from her face. "It was a selfish act, really." He said in a singsong tone. "Oh, yes. She knew it was either her or them. And what do you think she choose? Selfish." Robotnik laughed, and then he spoke in a high pitched voice. "If I save them, people will remember me instead of these worthless peasants." Robotnik's imitation of her mother didn't sit well with anyone in earshot. Sally felt her blood boil rapidly. 'They'll remember me.' *Feh* It was a selfish act, really. If she really were a woman of the people, she would've let them die; let them have the glory instead of sucking it up for herself like she did, like a bitch." Robotnik smiled his evil grin. He fed off the misery of others and at the moment, he was filling up at the buffet. "So how long did it take for them to clean her up off the floor? Did they shovel her remains up, or did they have to use a sponge?"
"You son of a bitch!" Sally screamed and before any of the guards could react, she reached over and grabbed one of the side arms and aimed it at Robotnik's head. He just laughed at her. "Oh, please your majesty. Go ahead. Take the glory for yourself. Just like mommy and daddy would." He laughed his sinister laugh again. "Milady, put the gun down." One of the guards pleaded. "Please." Another one begged.
"You're wrong, Robotnik," She growled. "I do." *Bang*
A single shot rang out and reacted from the loud bang of the gun. When they opened them, smoke was pouring out of the barrel, but Robotnik was still standing, a hole where the bullet had went into the wall a few inches from the side of his head. He still had that grin on his face. "But I'm going to see you get what's coming to you, like my mother and father would." By now, the guards that had been called in as replacements had heard the shot and had come running down to see what had happened. "If anyone asks, one of your weapons misfired and the truth doesn't leave this place. Understood?" She said. "Yes, milady!" The guards said.
"Good. Now, he is to be treated as a normal prisoner. No one is to touch him unless he steps out of line. If I find out someone does anything like this again, there will be severe consequences. Is that understood?"
"Yes, milady." The guards said in unison. Sally handed the gun back to the guard she grabbed it from and he re-holstered it. As Sally began to walk out, Robotnik began laughing.
"Oh, my dear deluded Princess. You're way too soft. You should've killed me when you had the chance." Robotnik grinned, then stepped back when one of the guards whacked his club against the bars. "Keep back!" He barked. Robotnik just laughed that low, gravely laugh he had and sat down on the stone bench. "Drop back by when you get a chance." Robotnik said as she walked away from the holding cells.
When Sally walked out, Gandor, her father's closest advisor, ran over to her. "Milady, I heard the shot, are you all right?" He asked. "I'm fine. One of the guard's weapons misfired. Have all side arms checked immediately." She said. "Right away." He said and turned to give the order. "Gandor." She called out and he went back to her. "Yes, milady?" He asked.
"Do you have a minute?" She asked. "Of course. What seems to be the trouble?" He asked. "Don't you think it's a little odd that we managed to capture Robotnik so easily? He pretty much surrendered when we found him." Sally asked. "Yes." He said quietly. "I thought so too. I'll have the guards keep a close eye on him." Gandor said and walked away to give the orders to the guards. "One more thing, Gandor." Sally said. "Yes?"
"No one is to associate with him, address him or look at him unless it's necessary." Sally said. "Yes, milady." Gandor nodded and went on his way. Robotnik was scheduled for execution in a week, another decision that was highly unusual. He was only allowed three basic meals a day with no contact. He wasn't even allowed to be let out of his cell, not even to exercise or shower, something that was allowed, even to the most hardened criminals. But because of the crime's he had committed over the years, those privileges were revoked; kept quiet to only a select number of people. Of course, if it did get out to the people, Sally didn't think anyone would actually mind.
The night before, Robotnik was offered to choose his last meal. The chef told him, "You can choose whatever you like." Robotnik looked at him and being Robotnik, looked the chef dead in the eye, grinned that sinister grin of his and didn't say a word. The chef backed away from the cell door, a terrified look on his face; Robotnik continuing to stare him down. The chef started trembling and as he backed away from the cell, he tripped and fell on his butt. One of the guards rushed over to him and helped him up. The guard saw the look on the chef's face and a chill ran down his spine. The chef hadn't been told not to make eye contact with him and now he was reduced to a shell of a man.
When the chef got to his feet, he quickly made his way over to the door and flung it open, screaming. The remaining guards shook their heads and turned their backs to fatty, except one answered the intercom on the wall. "What the hell's going on down there?"
"You might want to make sure the chef's ok." And the guard went back to his post.
The Day Of
Robotnik was scheduled for execution around six that evening. Cameras were set up to broadcast the event live, reporters were billing it as the greatest victory ever in the history of Mobius, praising the King and Queen for their bravery and Sally for ordering the mission that captured him. Royal law stated that a prisoner was given three options, death by firing squad, lethal injection or, albeit a gruesome choice, electric chair and they were chosen by the King and Queen. The process was odd, yet simple. All three methods were placed inside three envelopes and presented before the King and Queen, neither knowing which envelope contained which remained a mystery to everyone until it was read aloud to the prisoner.
The three methods were presented in their envelopes to Sally and she made her choice, which was then rushed down to the cells. Three minutes later, the guard that watched Robotnik's cell called up to the Throne room and read the final verdict.
"Ivo Robotnik, by order of the Queen of Mobius, you have been sentenced to die." The faint sound of paper ripping could be heard. "You are charged with the murders of over 800 Mobians as well as the assassination of the King and Queen. Your punishment is as follows."
There was a moment of silence. No one knew what had been chosen, and everyone held their breath as the verdict was read. "Ivo Robotnik, you are hereby sentenced to die by firing squad. Do you have anything to say?"
"Oh princess, you shouldn't have." The familiar growling chuckle could be heard over the speaker. "Very well. Punishment will be carried out in one hour." The guard said, then the speaker went silent. Once that was over, Sally turned to Gandor. "Gandor, I want his body taken for DNA testing to make sure it's really him, and I want a task force formed immediately following Robotnik's execution. I want them to scour every place we know he's been, every hideout he has. Make sure he's really dead. He's done this sort of thing before and I want to make he's going to stay dead this time."
'Yes, Milady." Gandor said.
The Execution
She walked out to the Royal balcony and sat with Gandor, as well as Sonic and Tails, who had been invited to sit with them. She sat down and waited for the guards to bring Robotnik out. The crowd was restless and the cameras that had been gathered around pulled back since it was illegal to show an execution on live TV.
Finally, he was brought out, escorted by five heavily armed guards, all carrying automatic weapons. Robotnik grinned and looked around, satisfied that all eyes were on him. The guards marched him over to a wall on the far side of the castle and stood him against the wall, tied his hands to a pole so he couldn't escape and walked away. Sally kept her eyes trained on him and he looked up at her with that smug grin on his face. The guards fell back, with the exception of three of them and the head guard, who turned to address Robotnik. "Ivo Robotnik, you have been sentenced to die by firing squad and will now be offered the chance to speak. Do you have anything to say?"
"Indeed I do." He said. "To the people of Mobius, I hereby demand an apology from the princess. Do you know what I've went through since I've been here? I was savagely beaten by those ruffians you call guards."
"You deserved it you fat bastard!" Someone in the crowd shouted. "And the insults. I didn't think anyone could use language like that." He shrugged. "Honestly, I don't know how you put up with such disrespectful thugs, my dear princess." The crowd began booing him. "Get it over with already!"
"We want blood!" Robotnik shook his head. "Don't you people have any manners? Anyway... to her majesty, Queen Sally. I want to say, in that light, you remind me of your mother. You didn't happen to bring the sponge with you, did you? I know she'd hate to miss this. I guess we could prop your father up on his throne. Although I don't know if he'd be able to see- oh that's right!" He hung his head and clicked his tongue together several times. "His head was vaporized by that laser, wasn't it?" He looked over at Tails. "You know, my dear boy, if you want, I'd be willing to share with you my knowledge on laser and weapons technology. After all, I think the King gave me a pretty successful test run." The anger of the on-lookers rose to a fever pitch and the guards stood by in case they decided to rush Robotnik and tear him apart with there bare hands.
"That's enough!" One of the guards snapped, and started to place a black hood over his head. "No, no! Leave it off. It's undignified and I won't be seen out in public with my gorgeous face uncovered." The guard looked up at Sally and she shrugged. The guard did as well and removed the hood. "Really! I'd think the Royal family would treat their prisoners better. Covering their heads with a cloth." Robotnik huffed.
"It's not a bad look." Sonic muttered. The head guard stepped away. "Sentence will now be carried out. God have mercy on your soul."
Robotnik sneered and looked up at Sally again, then back at the three guards in front of him. They were fifteen feet from him, each carrying a rifle. It was set up where one rifle had a live round, and the other two had blanks, which were then shuffled around, then one rifle was handed to each of the shooters. That way, the punishment could be carried out without any of them feeling guilty for having to shoot a man. Of course, this was a special occasion and none of the three felt any remorse for what they were about to do.
"Ready." The head guard ordered. All three men held their rifles across their chests and pulled the bolt back and loaded their guns. "Aim." The three leveled their sights on Robotnik's chest. Robotnik looked up at Sonic, Sally and Tails, and gave them one final sneer and in a low voice as he looked up at Sonic, Sally and Tails, he said, "I'll see you in hell."
"FIRE!" The head guard ordered. Three shots rang out simultaneously, and Robotnik jerked forward as the bullet pierced his chest, into his heart and came clear out the other side. His face grimaced in a look of pain, then relaxed as his heart gave out and he slowly slumped to his knees, large body held up by his hands, which were tied to the pole. The doctor that had attended to him when he was brought in and beaten by the guards walked over and placed two fingers on Robotnik's neck and felt for a pulse. He probed around a couple more times, then shook his head yes. Robotnik was dead.
It was announced and there was no cheer from the crowd, no big uproar or celebration like everyone thought there would be. Just a stunned silence. Sally stood up from her chair as the guards untied Robotnik's hands from the pole and began taking him back into the castle to confirm his identity like Sally had ordered. "Ladies and Gentleman." Gandor said from the balcony. "The Queen will now give a speech she has prepared." He moved away and Sally took his place. "Thank you. Royal subjects, one of the most evil men Mobius has ever known, has been captured and justice served for the crimes he has committed to the people of Mobius, as well as the assassination of the King and Queen." Everyone applauded.
"But, that could not have been accomplished with out the help of these two men, Sonic and Miles Prower." She turned to Sonic and Tails. "Please step forward." She said. They did, and stood right next to her. "These two have put their lives on the line countless times under orders from my Mother and Father before their deaths as well as myself and have shown bravery time and time again when asked. If not for them, Robotnik might have never been caught and we have them, along with every member of the Royal guard to thank for Robotnik's capture. By the power vested in me and on behalf of the Mobian people, I award you, Sonic, the Silver Star and the Mobian Five-Star Cross in honor of your bravery and service to the Mobian people." Gandor handed her a small box, which held the medals, and she handed it to Sonic. "Thank you, your Majesty." He said and bowed to her. "Miles Prower, by the power vested in me and on behalf of the Mobian people, I award you the Silver Star and the Mobian Five-Star Cross in honor of your bravery and service to the Mobian people." Gandor handed her another box, which she handed to Tails. "Thank you, your Majesty." Tails said, and backed away.
The on-lookers applauded, and when it died down, she began to speak again. "Over the last few days, I have been weighing a difficult decision. After my parents were murdered, I vowed to hunt down Robotnik until he was found, and now, we have accomplished that goal. But, as I said, this decision has been difficult and I have not taken it lightly. I swore that justice would be served to a man that not only killed and tortured 800 Mobians, but my parents as well, and for reasons that are personal to me, I hereby resign as your Queen, effective immediately." Shocked gasps rose from the crowd, and a few scattered "No's" could be heard coming from a few of the people.
"I do not make this decision lightly as I said before, but, this decision was made for reasons that are personal to me and I hope you'll understand that. A replacement will be found shortly, which I am sure will be swift. I thank you all for understanding and now, I will simply say good-bye." Sally waived to the crowd one final time and walked back in the castle, leaving them with more questions than answers.
"Oh, dammit." Sonic muttered as he opened his eyes and got up off the couch. It felt like his bladder was about to explode and he quickly made his way to the bathroom. He made it just in time and once he started, he felt like he wouldn't stop for a good minute. "Jesus, I know I didn't take one of those pills." He said, shaking off the few drops that remained and pulling his boxers back up.
Before he flushed, he heard Tails voice coming through the walls. It wasn't that he was eavesdropping, the walls of the house, save for his lab, were thin and any noise louder than a strong whisper could be heard through them. Sounds like he's talking to Cream. Sonic though, flushed and washed his hands, and as he turned out the lights and closed the bathroom door behind him, it happened.
*Ngh!* Sonic felt his chest tighten and he had trouble breathing. It felt like he had just ran ten miles and was trying to breathe through a coffee stirrer. "Shit..." Sonic mumbled as he stumbled against the wall. He was just a few feet from the bag that had his pills in it, but it felt like it was a mile away. It hurt to walk, but Sonic dragged himself over to it through the pain and fell on the couch and dragged the bag up on the couch and rummaged through it. "C'mon..." He mumbled as the tightness in his chest increased. He was starting to sweat and his vision was going blurry.
Before it got to the point where he couldn't see, he grabbed the bottle of Clornol and opened it and chewed one of the pills and swallowed it. A minute passed and the pain was still there. Another passed and another and another. Sonic leaned back on the couch, praying that the pill would work. Five minutes later and the pain was still there and that was the limit. Sonic reached out for his phone to call for help when the pain slowly began to subside.
Sonic leaned forward, sweat pouring off his head. He was scared. Last time he took one of those pills, it took close to three minutes for it to work, now it was up by two minutes. Sonic got up off the couch, and in a move that was out of character, he dropped to his knees and began to pray.
"God," He thought. "I know I haven't been the greatest person to ever live, and I know we don't exactly see eye to eye, but if you're willing, I'd like to ask you for one thing. Please let me make it to the wedding. I'm not asking for myself, I'm asking for her. Please. It would mean so much to her, make her happy. I just want to see her happy. Please don't make her suffer for what I've done to her. Please give her the happiness and joy that I stole from her." Sonic was weeping silently now. "Please." He said in a low whisper. "I'm sorry."
The Next Morning
*Tink* "Oh, damn." Tails said, plates banging against each other as he pulled them out of the cabinet. "Morning." Sonic mumbled as he made his way to the bathroom. "Morning." Tails replied as he set the plate on the counter. *Tink* "Dammit. I told her to get plastic ones." Tails said when the plate banged on the counter again.
When Sonic finished in the bathroom, he did his usual morning routine, brush his teeth, hair, wash his face to wake up and poke around on his legs to make sure he wasn't retaining fluid. It was a little odd when he pressed down on his shins and there was a dimple in the skin, but all he had to do was take one of those 'water pills' as they were known and everything was taken care of.
After pressing down a few times and not seeing anything alarming, he smiled since that meant he wasn't retaining that day. After the trouble he had earlier that morning, he needed some kind of good news to start the day. That also meant he could drink a little more than if he was retaining that day.
"Hungry?" Tails asked as Sonic walked out of the bathroom. "A little." Sonic said as he walked into the kitchen and tossed a couple of slices of bread in the toaster and poured a cup of coffee. "I didn't know you drank this stuff." Sonic said to Tails as he grabbed a cup out of the cupboard. "Yeah." Tails replied. "It's decaf, but it works for me. Cream bought it a while back and I thought, 'This ain't gonna be good' you know?" Sonic grabbed the pot and poured a cup.
"But I grew into it." He said, taking another sip. Sonic pushed the button for the toaster and the toasted slices popped out of the toaster; grabbing the butter, he spread on a thin layer per his doctor's orders and sat down at the table. "So, what's up for today?" Sonic asked.
The Bachelor Party
"Shadow and Knuckles should be here in a while." Tails said as he hung up his phone. Knowing them, Sonic figured they had something planned, but he really had no idea. "So, what, is there gonna be like a stripper that pops out of a cake or something?" Sonic asked.
"No." Tails shook his head. "One, Cream would kill me and two, we couldn't find someone that would bake one that would hold a person."
Sonic laughed. "I know Sally wouldn't take that well."
When Shadow and Knuckles got there, they walked in, Knuckles carrying a silver breifcase and set it on the table. "What's that?" Sonic asked, pointing at it.
"This?" Knuckles asked, flipping the locks open and raising the top. Inside was a green felt cloth and when he removed it, Sonic saw what it was. A poker set, complete with chips, three decks of cards and a set of dice. Sweet! Sonic thought. He enjoyed the game and was always up for a hand. "You didn't happen to fit a stripper in there, did you?" Sonic asked. Knuckles pulled the felt out and laid it on the table and spread it out. "Yeah right. If we had one and Sally found out, she'd kill all of us." Knuckles said, getting the felt in place. It had a poker table design on it, perfect for playing hold 'em.
"Where's he going?" Sonic asked as Shadow went out the door. "He must've forgot to grab the beer." Knuckles said. When Sonic heard the word 'beer', he kicked himself mentally. He wasn't a big drinker and didn't do it just to get drunk, but he did enjoy it every now and then; unfortunately, it was off limits now.
"Cool." Sonic said. Shadow came back in a few second's later, carrying a six pack and Sonic laughed. "Dude, do you know how odd that looks? Seeing you carrying that?" He said through stifled laughs.
"What?" Shadow asked in his low voice as he walked over to the fridge and stuck it inside. "I'm not allowed to have one every now and then?" Sonic saw he actually looked a little hurt by his comments. "No, I didn't mean it like that." Sonic said. "It's just, I never pictured you as a drinker."
Shadow shook his head and laughed. "Can't have a bachelor party without 'em." He said.
"Hey guys." Tails said as he appeared from nowhere. "Hey." Knuckles and Shadow said. "Where'd you go?" Shadow asked. Tails walked over into the kitchen and stopped in front of the fridge. "I got a call from Cream." He said casually as he opened the fridge. "Hey, who brought the beer?" Tails asked, poking his head out from the fridge. Shadow pointed to himself as Knuckles and Sonic finished setting up the table.
Tails shook his head in disbelief and grabbed a soda. Always a surprise with that guy. He thought and grabbed a soda and headed over to the table. Everything was ready to go and they all sat down and Knuckles opened the case with the chips. "Who needs change?" He asked. Shadow, Knuckles and Tails pulled their wallets out and pulled out $50 each.
Sonic looked at the three of them. "We're playing for money?" He asked. "Yeah." Knuckles said. "Did you think we were playing for marshmallows or something?" He asked, pulling out a stack of chips and dividing them evenly. Sonic shrugged and went to get his wallet out of his bag and while he was there, he slipped one of his pills into his pocket in case he needed it.
"Here." Sonic said, tossing a $50 of his own on the table. Knuckles took it, gave him some chips and stuck the bill into the case and closed it up.
"Okay people, hold 'em's the game, dollar ante, five raise maximum; blinds are a buck." Knuckles said, then he grabbed the big white chip that said 'Dealer' and gave it a flick with his finger. It spun around for a few seconds, then settled in front of Tails. "Kay Tails, you're the dealer." Knuckles said, handing him the deck of cards. Tails took the deck and Knuckles threw in a dollar along with Shadow.
Thirty Minutes Later
"Damn." Knuckles said, throwing his cards down in disgust. "Eight games in a row! You're not counting cards or something, are you?" He said to Tails. The fox had been on a hot streak and had won nearly $38 from the three of them. "What can I say?" Tails said, raking the small pile of chips toward him. "Just lucky I guess."
"Calm down, Knucks." Shadow said. "You know he wouldn't cheat us." Shadow said. "I know that. And don't call me that." Knuckles said. Tails separated the chips he'd won into four stacks, arranged by color and put them with the rest, then he stood up. "I'll be right back." He said, walking off to the back of the house, the bathroom door closing a few seconds later.
"How is he that good?" Shadow asked. "You know him." Sonic said. "Kid's good at just about everything." Sonic reached over and took a drink from his beer. It was against his Doctor's advice, but, he decided to go ahead and have one anyway; well two. Besides, how many more times was he going to be able to have fun like this with them again.
"I have a question for the three of you." Sonic said. "And that is?" Knuckles asked, shuffling the deck. "Whaddaya think about letting him have a beer with us?" Sonic asked. Shadow and Knuckles stared at him, dumbfounded looks on their faces. "You're serious?" Knuckles asked.
Shadow just stared at him. "Yeah. I am. Think about it. He's almost sixteen (the legal age when all Mobians were considered adults), why not let him have one? I'm pretty sure he's gonna be doing it in a couple months when his birthday rolls around. Why not let him have one, just between us?"
Shadow and Knuckles looked at each other and, to Sonic's surprise, they both agreed. "Really?" Sonic asked. He figured Knuckles wouldn't be much of a problem, but he figured Shadow would've put up a bigger fight about it. "Yeah." Shadow said. "He's almost old enough."
"And besides, it's just us and I know he's not gonna go out and drive or something stupid like that. Besides, I kinda want to see what 'drunk' Tails is like." Knuckles said. Shadow and Sonic laughed and they agreed. A few seconds later, they heard the sound of water running, then heard the door open and Tails walked back over to the table and sat down. "Okay. Hope you guys are ready, cause I'm not going easy on you now." Tails said, tossing a dollar into the pot.
Shadow and Knuckles looked at Sonic and nodded. "Hey, Tails?" Sonic said.
"What?"
"Want a beer?" Sonic asked.
Tails face took a serious tone and he looked at the three of them. Did I hear that right? "What?"
"Yeah. You're almost sixteen and since it's just us, we figured we'd let you join in on the fun." Sonic said. Tails didn't say anything. He just looked at them, trying to figure out if they were joking with him. "Really?" He asked cautiously.
The other three nodded and a slight smile formed on Tails' face, then once he realized they weren't joking, he nodded.
"You know where it is." Sonic said. Tails grinned from ear to ear. He had never touched a drop of it before and he had always wondered what being drunk was like. It wasn't like he was clamoring to find out and get fall down, throw up all over yourself, but he wasn't going to pass up the opportunity his friends had extended to him.
"There's one problem." Shadow said. "I only picked up a six pack. We're gonna need more."
"I can drive if you want to get some more." Tails suggested and it was agreed upon. After all, Tails hadn't been drinking, they needed more and he had his license. "Cool." Shadow said and he and Tails headed out to his car. "Back in five." Shadow said as they walked out the door. Tails and Cream only lived a few minutes out of town, so it wouldn't be long until they got back.
*heh* "That's just weird." Knuckles said. "What's that?" Sonic asked as he grabbed the cards and began dealing again, but without playing for money.
"Tails taking Shadow down to get beer." Knuckles said as he grabbed his cards. "Never thought I'd see or say that."
Sonic nodded. *heh* "Yeah. Hell, let the kid have a little fun." Sonic said. "You ever do anything like this when you were his age?" Sonic asked. "You mean drink?" Knuckles asked; Sonic nodded.
Knuckles nodded and threw two of his cards away and grabbed two more. "Yeah. Couple of times. But I never went overboard. Just to see what it was like, y'know?"
Sonic nodded and drew three. "Not really. I mean, I tried it, but I never really got into it." Sonic said. "Two pair, A's and sevens." He said, laying his cards down on the table.
"Three of a kind, 3's." Knuckles said, laying his down.
"Damn." Sonic said in disgust.
"Hey, at least you didn't lose any cash this time." Knuckles said. Sonic nodded and Knuckles shuffled the deck again.
*heh* "I just had a weird image." Sonic said. "What's that?" Knuckles asked. "Imagine Tails drunk. I mean fall down drunk and he's trying to fly." Sonic said.
Knuckles closed his eyes and started laughing. "Okay, that is pretty funny." He said.
Ten minutes later, Shadow and Tails came back, Shadow carrying a twelve pack under his arm. Sonic and Knuckles saw it and nodded. "Damn man, how wasted are you planning of getting." Knuckles asked. Shadow laughed. "It's a party, right?" He asked as he set it in the fridge, opened the box, took four out headed back to the table.
He handed them out and sat down and cracked his open. It was an odd sight to Sonic's eyes. Shadow continued to surprise him every time he saw him. He had gotten to know him better over the last few months, but the one thing he never pictured him doing was drinking. It just seemed out of character for him.
But Sonic shook it off, cracked open the fresh can and took a drink, Knuckles opened his and Tails sat and stared at his. He was nervous, but he reached out and took the can. He looked at the others and they weren't even paying attention to him, talking amongst themselves. Okay, you asked for it, and you got it. He thought. Tails grabbed the tab and pulled it back.
When he cracked it open and it hissed, the others looked out of the corner of their eye's and watched as Tails took his first drink. The beer flowed inside his mouth and he almost gagged on it, but he forced himself to swallow it. "Ugh." He shuddered. The others applauded him and he looked up at them. "That didn't taste like I thought it would." He said, setting the can back down.
Sonic reached out for it. "So you don't like it then?" He asked. Tails pulled the can away from him. "I never said that." Tails said, setting the can closer to him. "I just wasn't expecting it to be that bitter." He said, taking another drink. This time, the look on his face didn't have that horrified look and Sonic reached over and took another drink of his. "I guess if we need more, were screwed." Knuckles said. Sonic and Shadow nodded and Tails started to deal another hand.
Twenty minutes and several hands later, the 12 pack including the original six pack, had been nearly drank. It brought the total up to 18. Knuckles had five, Sonic had five, Shadow had four which surprised all three of them and Tails had three and was in the process of finishing the final one. By this point, they were all drunk, slurring their words slightly and they all had that drunk smile on their faces; since it was his first time, Tails had the biggest smile. To everyone's amusement, they found out what kind of drunk Tails was. He was the quiet, happy kind. Sonic was cool, reserved kind, Knuckles was the slightly loud talker and Shadow, well he was Shadow. He was the same as when he was sober, but he just slurred his words.
Tails got up, stumbled over to the fridge and grabbed the last one out of the fridge. He started walking back to the table, and reached out and steadied himself against the wall. "Oop, oop." He mumbled, chuckling a little. "You alright buddy?" Sonic asked, slurring his words and looking over at Tails. Tails nodded and smiled, his eyes half closed and he slowly stumbled back over to the table and sat down.
"Yu need ta slo dowm." Knuckles mumbled. Tails cracked the can open and took a big drink. "He- he- hey." He mumbled. "You gys said I culd. If u ddn't want me tu," He looked up at Knuckles, one eye half open and a half smile on his face. "yu shuldnt hve said I culd."
"I think thts the last of it." Shadow said, slurring his words as well. "You- you know wht I just realized?" Shadow asked. "Wuzzat?" Sonic mumbled. "We're all wasted. How th hell am I gettng home?"
"yeh. I cam her wth u." Knuckles mumbled at Shadow.
"Tht's right." Shadow said, lightly hitting himself in the forehead with an open palm.
"Hey, evrybdy hey evrybdy hey evrybdy hey evrybdy hey. Hey, evrybdy hey." Tails mumbled loudly. The others turned toward him, Sonic giggling as he got a good look at 'drunk' Tails. "We cn't drve. Why dn't u slep her tonght?" He asked.
Shadow and Knuckles looked at each other and nodded. "Okay." Shadow said. "Snds good." Knuckles mumbled. Then there was a minute of silence. "So, re we stll playng gards or what?" Sonic asked.
"I think wre passed tht." Shadow said. "So wht now?" Sonic asked. "We nd TV." Tails mumbled. Tails stood up, and fell back down into his chair and laughed. "Im srry, I'm alrdy drunk." He mumbled. The others stood up, and stumbled into the living room. Shadow, Knuckles and Sonic fell on the couch, laughing and looking up at the ceiling. Tails fell into the plush recliner and grabbed the remote.
"Whadda wana watc?" He mumbled. No one said anything, save for Sonic, who drunkenly mumbled some kind of noise.
Tails looked over and saw Knuckles and Shadow had already passed out. "Gues thy can't hold ther... whatchamacal it." Tails mumbled and turned to Sonic. "Hey! Blue!" Tails shouted.
"Wat?" Sonic mumbled, looking over at the fox. Tails still had that cool, drunken smile on his face and it made Sonic laugh. "I gota tell u, thanks for letin me join in with u guys." Tails said.
"Don't worry bout it." Sonic said. "Just don tell Sally."
"Don't wrry." Tails mumbled, leaning back in the chair. "I- Oh shit!" Tails eyes grew twice their size, then he jumped up and ran toward the bathroom, the door slamming behind him. Two seconds later, there was a loud and long, "BLLLGGGHHH!"
"Guess the party's over." Sonic said, looking at Shadow and Knuckles, who by now had passed out.
"UUUGGGGHH!" Tails continued. "Oh, God!" Tails moaned as another round started and Sonic, out of curiosity, got up to check on the fox. "U OK bud?" Sonic called out as he drew closer to the bathroom and when he opened the door, Tails had failed to flick the light on. When Sonic did, he almost lost everything in his stomach as well.
He saw Tails on both knees hugging the bowl, but he made one crucial mistake. His head wasn't aiming down through the hole in the seat, Instead, his head was hanging off the right side and he had thrown up a massive amount of beer and whatever else had been in his stomach. "Oh, God." Sonic moaned as the smell hit him and he leaned over the sink in case his stomach decided to do the same.
"Tails?" Sonic asked. The fox moaned, looked up at him, smiled then turned his head as another round started, this time he managed to hit the water, but also hit the seat and the floor again. Sonic's stomach lurched, but he had an iron stomach and he managed to hold everything down. "You ok?" Sonic asked.
Tails slowly turned his head toward Sonic, his body shaking slightly. "Yeah. I thin-" Tails turned back and another round began again, this time though he managed to make it into the bowl. Sonic walked over to the fox and placed a hand on his shoulder. "I gess we kno how much u can drink. C'mon." Sonic said, helping Tails up to his feet.
Tails, with a little help from Sonic managed to get to his feet and Sonic saw that the fox had managed to puke all over himself as well. "I'm sorry. Gues I shuld hop in the showr." Tails mumbled, that drunken smile still on his face. Sonic let go of Tails, who somehow managed to stand on his own feet and Tails reached down and pulled his shirt off. When he did, he managed to Sonic's horror drag the front of the shirt across his face which almost made Sonic puke again. Tails tossed it on the floor and reached down and pulled his pants off, tossed them on top of his shirt, then without hesitation pulled of the briefs he was wearing; Sonic turned around just before Tails managed to reveal everything to him and Sonic walked out and sat back down on the couch. "Guess his limit's five." Sonic said to himself and laughed.
"Whas so funny?" It was Knuckles. Sonic looked over at him and his eyes were closed, but his head was turned toward him.
"Knucks? I thought u passed out." Sonic said. Knuckles shook his head. "No. Jus too bright in here." He said. "And don't call me that."
"Sorry." Sonic said. Knuckles turned away from him.
"So wha happend?"
"He puked all over himself." Sonic said.
"Sounds about right for his first time." Knuckles said. "Did I hear him puking?" "Yup. When he took his shirt off, some of it got on his face tho." Sonic said. He started to feel sleepy and he laid his head against the back of the couch.
Knuckles shuddered. "I'm so glad I can hold my liqer."
"Me too." Shadow popped off.
"I thought you passed out too." Sonic said without raising his head.
Shadow shook his head. "No."
That was the last thing he remembered that night.
A/N 2: The ending of this chapter where they get drunk was a little odd for me to write. Drunken Sonic characters, but when I got to the part just before I had Sonic convincing Shadow and Knuckles to let Tails have a beer with him I thought, 'If it was me in his situation and I knew I didn't have a long time to live, I'd want to have one last party with my friends like that.' so that's my reasoning for putting that in there. Also, like a few other parts of this story, it's based on someone in my family who has graciously let me re-tell it to all of you and I hope you enjoyed it.