Tloj: And now, the Sonic cast introduction! Everyone newly introduced in this chapter is owned by Sega, DIC, and Archie comics. Shadow's awesome mansion is mine, though.
I blink slowly.
"Who owns this place?" I ask aloud.
We stood in front of a huge mansion on the city limits of town. It was a good twenty stories tall at least, but besides that, there was nothing extraordinary about it.
Knuckles opens the white wood gate and walks into the yard. "Friends of mine." He says easily.
We walk inside, and Spike rubs his chin, "Hm..."
Reave elbows him, and Spike raises his palms, "What?"
Knuckles knocks on the door, and a girl responds, "I got it!"
A few seconds later, the door opens, and an eight year old rabbit greets us. She smiles big when she sees Knuckles. "Mr. Knuckles!"
"Hey, Cream. Is Sonic home?" Knuckles tussles her giant lop ears, motioning for us to come inside.
"No, he's out for a run with Shadow and Shard." She squeaks happily.
"That your kid?" Spike snickers as he teases Knuckles.
"If she was, she'd be grinding your teeth into the carpet right now." He chuckles, messing with Cream's ears again before saying, "Alright then, who's in charge if the big three aren't here?"
"Amy is!" She giggles.
"Be a dear and get her for us, would you?" He asks.
"Okay!" She skips happily away, calling, "Amy! Knuckles wants to see you!"
Amy walks over, "Oh hey Knuckles, what's new?"
Out of the corner of my eye I see Spike's face go slack, and he pales as he hides behind Reave.
"A mess." He sighs. He points at me, saying, "Basically, this kid's Lien-Da's son, but he was raised in the slums of town so he knows nothing of his heritage, echidnaen or otherwise, and we need to bust through Eggy to reunite him with Mummy Dearest and straighten shit out."
Amy bops Knuckles on the forehead with a palm, "Language, there's kids here!"
"Ow! Cream left the room!" He complains.
I chuckle. Even the Guardian has friends who treat him like everyone else.
Amy looks at me, "Nice to meet you, I'm Amy Rose."
"Hero Slogluiganoff." I nod. "These are my friends and family. That's Antonio Slogluiganoff, Sarah, Millie, Reave, and Spike."
"Nice to meet... you..." She eyes Spike with puzzlement. Spike seems to be trying to disappear behind Reave, but sadly he is not that kind of ninja.
"Ex girlfriend?" Reave asks.
"Worse," Spike whispers.
"Sister." I say, as if it was obvious.
Amy gapes, "...Thorn?"
Spike shudders, "No, my name is Spike."
She steps around Reave, and looks Spike in the face. "...I'M GONNA KILL YOU!"
"HELP!" Spike makes a break for the gate as Amy summons a huge hammer from midair, and gives chase.
"Hey Antonio?"
"Yeah?" He looks at me.
"...You're a good bro."
"Oh. Thanks?" He blinks.
"Don't ever make a hammer out of nanotechnology like that." I plead.
"Not to hit you, I promise."
"Oh thank Chaos!" I sigh.
Spike dodges repeatedly, screaming like a little girl as Amy swings repeatedly at him. "YOU MEAN TO TELL ME YOU WERE ALIVE ALL THESE YEARS, AND YOU NEVER EVEN BOTHERED TO LET US KNOW?!"
"I WAS TOO BUSY STAYING ALIVE," he pleads, and summons his sword to deflect a blow.
"Hey Amy? I know that this is a heartfelt, Kodak moment, but I need to talk to who's in charge, and at this time it's you!" Knukles calls to her.
"QUIET," she snaps at him, and Spike trips on a rock, giving her the chance to smash him... which she does...duh...
She wipes her forehead, "Now what were you saying?"
"You're in charge." He says slowly and clearly. "Be a leader and help me figure out the heck we're going to do here."
"Okay, so Lien-Da's son huh? I wish I could say we haven't seen weirder stuff." She shrugs as Reave attempts to revive his friend. "Well the Legion HAS been acting up recently, though we haven't heard from Lien-Da herself in a long time."
"That goes along with the story." He looks at me. "How about Eggman? Where's he?"
Amy takes us inside, and turns on the news, "Looks like he found a way to repower the Egg Dragoon without Dark Gaia, but Sonikku has it covered."
"I take it you like this... Sonikku?" I ask.
Amy blushes, and sighs in a way that tells me she just went to Cloud 9.
"His name's Sonic the Hedgehog." Knuckles explains. "Besides Shadow, he's the one in charge. He knows more about Eggman and the Dark Egg Legion than anyone here. Well, Shadow may claim otherwise, but Sonic's in the fray a lot more."
"Wait. You mean THE Sonic the Hedgehog?!" I blink incredulously.
"Great, he has a fan club. We're never going to hear the end of this." Knuckles groans, facepalming.
Sarah watches as Amy sways on her feet, singing to herself, "And... she's...?
"The self-proclaimed girlfriend, Amy Rose." Knuckles states, motioning with a finger that she was a bit loopy.
Reave spikes as he sets Spike on the couch. Spike mutters, "Shonik, dun kish da pwinshesh..."
"Heh, the hero's in another castle." I snicker. I look at Antonio for a response, but he's gone. "Wha? Dang it Anti!"
Reave taps my shoulder, and points to the TV screen.
I walk over and look at it.
I see my brother as Tails Doll fighting right alongside Sonic.
"Damn he's fast!" I blink. I look at Amy. "Say, where ARE they fighting?"
"Apparently the princess is in another castle too," Sarah quips.
Reave eyes the screen, "Looks like Westopolis, downtown, and fifth."
"Thanks. Be right back." I step outside and turn into Fire Hero, shooting into the sky and flying back into town.
It takes about five minutes to get there... jeez this thing looked smaller on TV...
The Egg Dragoon is massive. Antonio's throwing away at the thing, but they're just bouncing off the cockpit. I wonder if he tried using his lasers yet.
Sonic, Shadow, and Shard were distracting it more with their onslaught.
Time to make an entrance!
I turn off my flame and drop like a stone, letting my fire surround me. The ground craters beneath me, and I stand as if I was dropped from an airplane.
They all turn to look at me, and Eggman growls, "Another one?! Where do you people come from?"
"The shadows." Antonio shoots his eye lasers, and cuts a laser blaster off.
Sonic looks up at me, "I hope he's friendly... well, more than Shads anyway."
"Oh, I am." I bring my hands back, and start charging a huge fireball.
Eggman scoffs. "Even with your lightshow, my Egg Dragoon is superior in every way!"
"All metal is weak to fire." I say simply, holding the orb in one hand as I charge at him with a yell.
He aims his weapons at me, and I manage to dodge them all. I jump and spin, slam dunking the fireball onto the cockpit and shattering it.
"Yeah! Nice!" Sonic runs up the arm and lands next to me, slamming a manual eject button.
"Nooooo!" Eggman screams as he's launched into orbit.
"I'm Sonic! Nice to meet you!" He offers a hand to shake.
"Hero. Likewise." I shake his hand.
"Yow!" He jerks his hand away, his glove on fire. He blows it out. "You're one hot dude!"
"Just for now." I smile.
"Hmph," Shadow crosses his arms, "And just who the hell are you two?"
"Hero." I say.
"No, your name, not your status." He growls.
"My name is Hero Slogluiganoff." I explain.
"That's a stupid name." He states.
"Says Shadow the Recolor." Shard smirks.
"Ooh, sick burn!" Sonic and Shard brofist.
"And I'm Antonio Slogluiganoff, Jr. the Third." Antonio says.
"Jr... the Third?" Shadow questions slowly.
"Don't ask." I sigh.
I spot a news helicopter above us, and I remember the others back at the house.
"Well, we'd love to stay and chat, but there's something we need to discuss with you back at your base." I say.
Sonic sweatdrops, "Uh... you mean my house?"
"Yeah, that." I say.
"YOUR house? It's MY mansion." Shadow glares at Sonic.
"You see this face Stripes? You see the not caring there?" Sonic points at his face, "Now let's just go home so we can see what's next on our list of adventures."
"You just earned a no teleport, Blueberry." Shadow grunts, teleporting without us.
Sonic puts his hands on his hips, "Just wait, he'll come back..."
A minute passes, and then Shadow arrives with a lump on his head, "I hate you..." He holds out his Chaos Emerald, and we all put a hand on, letting him warp us back to the mansion.
The only change when we get back is that Amy is no longer in La-la Land. Spike looks at Sonic, "...Shonic da fans dun like dat kine uh wherewuf..."
"Uh..." Sonic tilts his head curiously. "Hey Amy, did you get a new boyfriend? He's acting the way you do when I say one of my awesome speeches!"
"No, just gave my idiot brother a knock on the head," she says sourly, glaring at Spike.
"I didn't know you had a brother." Sonic says simply.
"I didn't know you had siblings until they showed up a few weeks ago." Amy deadpans.
"Manic hasn't palmed anything, has he?" Sonic groans.
She shakes her head, "No, he learned his lesson after you signed his arm cast."
"Heh, that was awesome, by the way." Sonic chuckles.
"Just be thankful your sister knows what she's doing with a medical kit." She huffs.
"Uh..." I clear my throat.
"Right," Sonic says. "So what's the emergency?"
"My mom's Lien-Da, I found out today, and I want to see her because I want to know why she gave my up to adoption." I say simply.
Shadow stares at me, "...I didn't hear his heart blip, he's telling the truth."
"Who'd a thunk?" Sonic scratches behind his ear, "Well, since Eggman just beat it I'll see if Tails knows what base he's hiding in this time, see if we can find her."
"Thanks!" I say happily.
Spike finally comes to his senses, "Wow... haven't been on a trip like that since I first trained with Cinder..."
"I'll bet." I snicker.
"So who are you people?" Shadow demands, crossing his arms.
"You know me and Antonio." I say.
Spike raises his hand, "Thorn Rose, but my bros, and babes call me Spike."
Reave nods, "Reave Nightshade, a pleasure."
Sarah stutters, "I-I'm Sarah..."
"And her sister Millie." I finish.
"Who are the items? There's got to be at least one!" Amy gushes.
"I hear Spike is gay for me." I snort.
"No, but my fist is," he says with a smile, light glinting off his spikes.
"Hey, you made the sword joke, not me." I smirk, pointing a fire-lit finger at him.
"Wanna see another one?" He summons his sword.
Sarah speaks out to break the tension, "U-um... I..." She holds out her arm so they can see the tattoo.
Shadow frowns, "A slave?"
"She and her sister WERE slaves. I freed them, but Sarah..." I look at her with a small smile.
She smiles too, "I... chose this life... and I like my Master." She looks at me guiltily.
I give her a hug. "I am not her master, for I am no better than she is."
Amy gushes, and I swear I can see hearts floating off of her. Spike nabs one, and rubs it between his fingers before letting it go.
I can feel Shadow glaring through me, and Amy's hearts are making my uncomfortable feeling worse.
Spike looks over, and notices Shadow for the first time. "Wait... you're...?"
"Shadow the Hedgehog. You know about me?" Shadow glares at him.
"DO I?!" Spike climbs over the back of the couch, "You're a freaking SUPERHERO! You save the world, look badass doing it, and don't give a shit! Why? Because you're Shadow the Chaos-damned Hedgehog!"
Reave sighs, "Here he goes. Only two celebrities he ever cared about were Shadow, and the keyboardist from Sonic Underground."
"Did someone call me?" An eggplant-colored female hedgehog walks in.
Spike points, "SONIA!" he faints.
Amy facepalms, and points at him, "I don't know him."
"Really? He looks like you Ames." Sonia giggles.
"He does not," she whines. Spike slowly holds up an autograph book with a shaky hand.
"Oh, c'mon! He's not nearly as embarrassing as my brothers." She takes the book and pulls a pen from her hair, signing the book.
Spike leaps up, and hugs her, "THANK YOU!"
"You were saying?" Amy look mortified.
Sonia just giggles, hugging him back. "Your brother doesn't do boneheaded things on television like Sonic."
"I do not!" Sonic shouts indignantly.
"Teamwork has no superpowers." She deadpans.
Spike holds the book out to Shadow, and somehow pulls off Amy's Bambi Eyes, "Please...?"
Reave whispers to Sonic, "In truth she is his celebrity crush."
"Really? Hey Amy, look at Spike. That's your genderbend, right there." Sonic points at Spike.
Shadow huffs and stabs his pointing finger onto the open book, burning a print onto the page using Chaos energy.
Spike whoops, and almost hugs Shadow, but a foot to the face convinces him otherwise.
Spike counts the imaginary birds flying around his head while Reave addresses the group, "What is our wisest course at this time? Pursue Line-Da, or contact the Tundra Tribe for reinforcements?"
"Shade? Heh, we haven't seen her in a while! Let's go visit!" Sonic says happily.
"I knew you'd say that. I told her to expect lots of visitors." Knuckles says.
"To the Tundra it is!" I say.
Sarah rubs her arms, "I never bought a winter coat..."
"That's okay, we have plenty! Sonia looks about your sister's size, and you look about Amy's. I'm sure they have twenty they can let you borrow." Sonic smirks.
Sarah smiles in gratitude, and Spike mumbles, "Shonic, way off dah chiwidowgs or ool geh faht!"
"No way, Amy's bro! Chili dogs are my lifeline!" Sonic says defensively.
Spike shake shakes head back into reality, "Who's got the what now?"
"You've got the AIDS because Sonia has a dongle!" Sonic laughs, running away.
"That's just fanart on DeviantArt, jerk!" Sonia screeches, chasing after him.
Spike blinks, "... I have no clue, so what's for lunch?"
"Anything but hell on Mobius." Shadow states.
"Sarah, help me whip up something for their hospitality." I say.
"Just don't open the fridge in the corner. That's a hazard zone." Knuckles warns.
Sarah nods, and holds me back a step as the quailing siblings pass a hair's width in front of us.
"Thanks." We walk into the kitchen, and I start looking for bowls. "What can we make, Sarah?" I ask.
"For lunch... well they said Sonic likes chilidogs so I can make some for him, and special veggie burgers for everyone else."
"Sounds good." I agree, pulling out some large bowls and placing them on the counter.
She takes some fish, and a head of lettuce from the fridge. "Let's see... cheese, and mayonnaise should do. Oh you don't need the bowls, trust me. We just need to cook up some fish patties."
"I plan on making homemade chili for Sonic. I'm sure he eats from the can all the time." I pull off my gloves and wash my hands.
She nods, "Good idea."
She peels layer off the lettuce, and after washing them she starts spreading mayonnaise on them.
I grab some ground beef from the fridge and some spices from the cabinet, mixing them together.
She pours a light layer of olive oil into a pan, and lays fillets of fish in them once the oil starts to bubble.
I pour the mix into a pot and add some water.
She spices the fish as they cook. Once the fish in her pans are golden she puts them on the lettuce with a few pieces of cheese each. As an afterthought she fetches the other condiments from the fridge.
As she finishes, I give my chili a taste. I shake in a little garlic powder before pulling it off the heat and onto the table, with a plate of hot dogs and other condiments.
Suddenly Sarah squeaks in surprise as the Rose siblings haul her out of sight, and up the stairs.
...What just happened?
*Normal POV*
"What's going on?" Sarah looks at them in confusion.
"No worries," Amy assures her. "We just have a little present for you."
Spike nods with a wink she's not sure she likes...
*Hero POV*
I walk up the stairs, listening for Sarah.
"Are you sure about this? EEP!"
"Sorry! My hand slipped!"
"It's okay Amy..."
That doesn't sound dirty at all.
I knock on the door and state, "If you're doing what I hope you're not doing, you'd better be paying her!"
Amy pokes her head out the door, "Go away pervert, and get your mind out of the gutter!"
"It's done," Spike calls, and Amy opens the door. Sarah studies herself in a tall mirror as she wears a French maid's outfit. She blushes as the Rose siblings high-five.
…That is so hot!
"WHY did you make her a maid outfit?" I feel heat coming to my face.
"I just had it lying around," Amy says with a giggle.
"We figured since she does housework for you anyways that she might as well look the part," Spike continues.
"Thanks, I think? It's... a bit short on her." I look away.
"It's supposed to fit like that," Amy says with a sly smirk.
"I suppose you know all about that, don't you?" I grin.
"Yup, it's trick number 53 in my book for seducing men. Sonic never fell for it though..."
"And WHY do you want to share that book with Sarah? She's beautiful enough without any help!" I blush, realizing I said that out loud.
"Aha!" Amy points at me, "I knew it!"
"Told you," Spike says smugly. "They're smitten as kittens!"
"Ugh, you people are impossible! You know what?" I stomp over to Sarah and pull her into a kiss.
She stiffens, and then with a small moan she almost melts into me.
Hot damn, I should've done this earlier.
I hear a click behind me as both the conspirators take a picture before fleeing.
I give them the bird before pulling her closer and closing my eyes.
"Mm..." she wraps her arms around me, and I see the back of her outfit shift as he tiny tail wags.
I turn into Fire Hero, and wave my hand, the door closing.
She leans back to catch some air, "Hero..."
"I love you, Sarah." I murmur. "I don't know how that can happen in three days... but I do."
"And... I think I feel the same," she says, rubbing a hand in small circles on my chest.
I rub my shoulder. "I'm not ready for that..."
She looks down, "I understand... I just..." She leans into me again, "I knew when you saved me I wanted to be yours, heart, body, and soul..."
"Glad to know." I kiss her again.
She purrs, and her eyes light up with warmth.
I hesitantly pull away slightly. "Alright, we've made out enough. Let's go before Antonio notices we're gone." I hug her before opening the door, turning back to normal.
She nods, and follows me down the stairs so we can finish making lunch.
Sonic looks over, and his eyes almost bulge as Sarah, "Um... I'm guessing Ames got a hold of her?"
"Unfortunately. I couldn't stop her until it was too late." I say.
Shadow sighs, "Everything from Cream to Sally Acorn is a dress-up doll for Rose, I swear..."
"Hey, at least she got Sal to actually WEAR clothes." Sonic points out.
Shadow grunts an agreement while Sarah finishes her food. "Lunch!"
I pull a seat out for her, and sit next to her with a smile.
Shadow eyes the fish patty with lettuce buns curiously, and takes a bite.
"...I now believe that costume is highly appropriate."
"You should get Rouge to wear it then." Sonic jeers, biting into a chili dog.
...Which promptly explodes in his mouth due to a Chaos Arrow. "I meant, Faker, that she would make a fine maid."
"Hey Shads, do that again. It was actually pretty tasty!" Sonic smirks, grabbing another one.
"She's MY maid, thank you." I state, chewing on my burger.
Sarah smiles as she eats her own.
"Glad you found your better half!" Antonio says.
I almost choke on my burger before swallowing some water nonchalantly. "I won't ask."
"I've been exploring the place. It's huge! I passed by when Amy and Spike ran off."
"So going in my scrapbook," Amy giggles.
"I'll burn your scrapbook." I warn.
Amy glares, "Really wanna threaten me?"
"Really wanna put it in your scrapbook?" I say evenly.
"Really wanna know how many marshmallows I can stuff in my mouth?" Spike looks around the table hopefully.
"Shut up," Amy, and I both tell him.
I turn into Fire Hero and aim a finger at the ceiling, a flickering flame appearing on it.
"Hey!" Shadow stands, glaring at me, "What the hell are you doing?!"
I make the fire disappear. "I hate it when someone makes fun of me and my friends." I state.
Sonic frowns, "Who did?"
I point at Amy. "Wasn't the outfit enough?"
She pouts with her cheeks puffed out, "Well you try to do a guy a favor, and you get crap for it, hmph!" She crosses her arms, and sticks her nose in the air.
"I thank you for bringing us together, not the outfit." I say simply.
She just gives me the finger, and leaves the table.
"Ow." I wince.
"Wow, you made her leave instead of hitting you? Congrats." Sonia whistles.
Spike scratches behind his ears, "Yeah she's like that, about as predictable as the weather."
"Huh." I finish my burger.
"She can hold a grudge though," Spike says, and everyone who lives at this house nods in agreement
"I'd better apologize then." I stand.
Spike salutes me as I go off to find her watering flowers in the back garden.
"Hey?" I wander over.
She pretends not to notice me, but the reflexive twitch of her ears gives her away.
"I'm sorry for what I said." I sigh. "I just hate the fact that I just confessed my feelings to Sarah, and... Well, I don't like that a stranger puts me in their diary. It makes me think they're spying on me."
Amy sighs, and turns to face me, "A scrapbook is not a diary, it's just a little project of mine. Everyone I know lives in danger on a constant basis... it helps me to have something to remember them by, just in case."
She reaches into a pocket on her dress, and pulls out a heart-shaped spiral notebook, "Here, have a look."
I accept it, and open it.
Inside are a variety of pictures clipped for certain people, little footnotes written in cursive handwriting explaining the scene. Most are of Sonic, but they only make a little more than half of them. Before the empty part of the book I find the picture of me holding Sarah, and a clipped image of Spike.
The footnote reads, "Today I found out my brother was still alive, though he's nothing like I remember. I was mad at first, but we quickly bonded just like we used to as children. What's more he brought friends with him today, and among them I caught a rare glimpse of true love. I've never been more inspired to strive for my place at Sonic's side! XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXO!"
"Uh... Have you tried NOT stalking him and let him chase you instead?" I ask, looking at her.
"Why do you think I bought the seduction book?" She takes the notebook back, "And I do not stalk him! I just stay close by in case he might actually /notice/ me..."
"That's the thing. Sarah would've never noticed me if I was just some person. To Sonic, you're just someone on the team that he can depend on. Hang back, and see what he does!"
Amy droops her ears, "You think so?"
"It's just my opinion. If it doesn't work, then go back to your book. Or, ask my brother. He's an idiot, but he knows stuff." I say.
"So's mine," Amy giggles. "Well... that first part anyhow... Hey, promise me you'll bring Sonniku back safely please...?"
"He hasn't died yet, I doubt he's going to on a fact-finding mission." I smile. "But I promise."
She hugs me, "Thank you."
We walk back in, and Amy clears her throat to get attention. "I'd like to say I'm sorry to all of you for acting like a brat..."
"What, ten years and only NOW an apology?" Shadow states.
"Don't push it," Amy deadpans.
"Hmph."
Spike stops balancing his sword blade side down on his nose, and says, "So when do we head out?"
"Now." I say.
Sonic polishes off his last chili dog. "Who's coming with us? Just me and Knuckles?"
Spike, and Reave stand.
Amy waves, "Have fun Sonniku!"
"I will!" He looks at Knuckles. "Lead on, Knux!"
Antonio stands, cracking his knuckles.
Spike waves, "Later sis, I'll bring you a souvenir."
"You two coming?" I ask Sarah and Millie.
Millie nods, but Sarah looks down. "...Back on Angel Island I was just in the way..."
"You were, but you also helped me figure out how to use this thing." I move to her, and hold her hands in mine. "I need you."
She blushes, "Are... are you sure you want me to go too?"
"I don't know how I could do it without you." I say seriously.
Antonio gags. "Is that how I act whenever my girlfriend comes over?"
"Yes." I state immediately.
"Oh. Carry on then."
Sarah smiles, "You... you really want me to come with you?"
"More than anything." I smile.
She purrs, and nods as we head out the door.
"So how do we get there? We all don't have super-speed like Sonic does." I ask curiously.
"We can take my truck," Spike offers.
Reave raises an eyebrow, "Since when do you have a truck?"
"Since I pulled it out of a scrap yard, and put my B.F.T. back together like new!"
"Cool! Where is it? I wanna see it!" Antonio exclaims excitedly.
"I keep it down in the warehouse district," Spike says smugly. "Smoke helps me keep the Pigs off it."
"He means the Police," Reave supplies.
"Then show it to Antonio before he finds it himself." I watch Antonio jump around.
Spike nods, and snatches the car keys from me, "Alright! I'm driving!"
Reave whispers to me, "All of your seatbelts work, right?"
"Antonio modified it; if it doesn't save us all from dying, then the world's gonna end." I murmur back.
"Then I shall pray..."
Tloj: Since I put the disclaimer at the start for once, I don't have to do it here! MWAHAHAHAHA! R&R, F&F, and be merry! Happy Groundhog's Day!