Chapter 5
Sally kept to the tree tops, leaping from branch to branch with a natural agility common to her species of Mobian. Down below, she could see Sonic in pursuit and easily keeping pace. With one misstep, he would easily be able to catch her with speed like that, but Sally was crafty. After all, he was in her element.
"You might as well give up!" She heard him call from below. "I grew up in a forest not unlike this! It doesn't matter where you run, I will find you and make you pay!"
Sally sneered down on him. She swung off of a branch, tucked into a flip, and she landed on her feet just a few yards away.
"You wanna piece of me, tough guy? Then come on! I'll be standing right here!"
Sonic turned on his heel and he took off after her. He wouldn't hit her at full speed, he still needed answers, but he was moving at quite a pace. However, this was more to his own detriment than advantage. Just when he was upon her, Sally grinned and lifted her toe, revealing a hidden tripwire. There came a snap, followed by a stump tied to a rope coming swinging down and colliding with his head. Sonic went flying through the air before landing against the cruel, hard ground. Well, actually it wasn't that hard, but it was every bit as cruel as the leaves covering the hole collapsed and sent Sonic down into a pit of sharpened sticks. Thinking quickly, Sonic extended all four limbs, creating enough traction against the earthy walls to slow and eventually stop his descent, though he did have to suck in his gut for a rather lengthy piece of sharpened wood. It took some doing, but he eventually managed to crawl out with little more than sore arms and legs.
"Consider that your only warning!" He heard Sally call from somewhere up above. "I've more than a few of those traps littering the forest."
Sonic shook himself off, and his body pulsed with arcs of blue lightning.
"Oh yeah? Well not for long!"
Sonic took off like a shot, becoming a whirling buzzsaw of destruction, and one by one he ferreted out Sally's defenses: pit traps, nets, bear traps, trip wires, snare traps, a number of swinging objects, and even some explosives fashioned from fireworks. Sally could only look on as her carefully laid traps were rendered inert and harmless by the blitzing, lightning fast hedgehog. Eventually, Sonic had taken them all out, and he stopped short when he spotted her perch.
"You have to get up pretty early to get the drop on me twice." Sonic said smugly, though perhaps not truly considering his words. "Now get down here and fight like a man."
Sally scoffed, and she took out her bow.
"No thanks. I'd rather fight like a woman."
She knocked several arrows into her bow, took aim, and fired. Time seemed to slow as Sonic watched the flying projectiles come his way. He pretended to check his watch before feigning a yawn.
"I've dodged missiles before, but never any made of wood. Definitely a step down."
The first couple, he simply bobbed and weaved out of the way. Then, light as a feather, he leapt from one to the other like makeshift stairs as he ascended to the branch Sally was on. He caught the final one just as she was firing it, and he towered over her, twirling the arrow in his hand. Sally let out a gasp, not expecting Sonic to be upon her so suddenly, and he pinned her to the trunk of the tree.
"Seriously, you went literally medieval against me? Love the tribute to King Arthur times, but you're gonna need something stouter than pointy sticks to beat me."
Then, to his surprise, Sally grinned.
"You mean like that flash bang I taped to that pointy stick?"
Sonic blanched, and he looked at the stick and the now pin-less flash bang. Sally squeezed her eyes shut and braced her ears as the ordinance imploded with a pop followed by a sharp ring. She couldn't hear it, but Sonic let out a scream as he was blinded and rendered temporarily deaf. Sally, not so blinded, popped open her eyes, and she shoved her palm into his chest, sending him to the ground. She leapt down after him, drawing her sword and charging in. She slammed him in the gut with the blunt side, following up with a series of kicks and body blows that pummeled Sonic all over. She forced him to his knees, holding him up by one of his spines.
"Looks like good triumphs over evil again." She chirped cheerily. "And all without that wretched chaos magic. I had hoped none of Charlemagne's followers had made it, but I'm only further insulted that one of my own kin is his disciple. If there's more of your kind, rest assured that I won't rest until…un…til…"
Sonic forced his eyes open, and his vision slowly returned, as did his hearing. Something was drifting down lazily. Lots of somethings, actually. Sonic had to squint to get his eyes to focus, and sure enough he recognized what they were: feathers.
"My angel feathers!" Sally exclaimed, Sonic's ears ringing once again.
She let him go, his face plopping into the mud, and she got to work trying frantically to reclaim the fluttering objects. Sonic forced himself back to his feet, shaking off the mud and wearing an ugly scowl. Once more, the blue lightning surrounded his body, and he began to spin his feet to build up energy. Like a shot, he took off towards her, aiming for her back and ready to put her down. But, just as he neared, something, or rather someone, stood in his path.
"Sonic, cool it!" Tails exclaimed, bracing himself for impact.
Sonic gasped, and he immediately put on the brakes, skidding against the mud and throwing leaves in all directions. At long last, he managed to stop short of his friend, though the kinetic energy built up created a burst of air, which only further scattered the feathers to Sally's dismay. Sonic gasped for breath, and he stared at Tails incredulously.
"Dude! What the heck? Here I am, trying to avenge your honor and Uncle Chuck's barn, and you're standing in the way? She's the bad guy."
Tails gave his head a fervent shake.
"No, Sonic, she isn't! In fact, she's the one that saved my life from the real arsonists."
Sonic blinked.
"Arsonists? As in plural?"
"As in more than one, yeah." Tails said. "Three, in fact. A bear, a rabbit, and a wolf: all Mobians like us. Darn near took me out for good, but Sally here zipped in and saved me. In fact, she's actually…"
Suddenly, something big and heavy fell from the treetops and onto Sally's back. It was Knuckles, who now pinned Sally's arms behind her back and held her tightly.
"Good work, fox! Your distraction plan went off without a hitch!"
Sally grunted, and she forced her head to turn so that she was looking Tails in the eye.
"You're working with them? You little traitor!"
"No!" Tails wailed, shaking his head furiously. "Will everyone just…"
Just then, a gunshot rang out, making the four Mobians freeze. Stomping through the thickets, a smoking blunderbuss held firmly in hand, was none other than Sir Charles, whom eyed the four anthropomorphics with wide eyes. Sonic's heart sank, and he offered a meek smile.
"Uh…meow?"
"Sir Charles!" Sally exclaimed, springing out of Knuckles grip and rushing to the man's side. "Thank goodness you're here! These are the vandals that were destroying the town!"
"What?!" Sonic exclaimed, but before he could speak further in his defense Sir Charles shook his head.
"I don't think so, little sparrow. Unless I missed my guess, these three only just arrived yesterday."
He eyed Sonic, Tails and Knuckles with a knowing eye, and he shifted his weight from one foot to the other.
"Baseball team my right eye."
……………………………………
A couple of hours later, they were all back in the manor, Snively serving tea though shooting suspicious looks at the assembled Mobians. Sally sat with Sir Charles and Rosie, sitting her tea like a noble woman while sneaking glares at the boys. Since with Sonic's brood was Tom and Maddie, both of whom were looking rather astonished but also a tad guilty.
"So then," Sir Charles spoke up, "you've had your own flock of little sparrows to look after, eh?"
"Yes." Tom said. "It started with Sonic, who had been living in the woods outside of Green Hills for some time. He was something of a prankster but he never hurt anyone. Maddie and I got to know him through what I can only describe as the craziest road trip ever, and we sorta took him in. Knuckles and Tails followed shortly thereafter."
He eyed Sally.
"Just where did she come from, though?"
"I'd imagine somewhere similar as those three." Sir Charles said. "I stumbled upon the poor dear during a fox hunt. One of my dogs had treed her, and imagine my shock when I heard her screaming like a banshee with the voice of a little girl. Rosie and I took her in same as you did, and she's been staying in the old tree house your father and I shared ever since."
He chuckled a bit.
"She got a kick when I told her of my knighthood. I insisted up and down that it was more of a title than anything special, but she was equally insistent that I made her my squire."
"You showed me kindness when you owed me none." Sally stated matter-of-factly, yet not looking up from her tea. "In doing so, it put me in your service, and an Acorn will always repay their debt."
Sonic rolled his eyes, prompting Tom to nudge him in the ribs.
"I am sorry for the little mixup." Tom told Sally. "Sonic's very protective of Tails, and seeing as you were the only one in the area…"
"I've seen the error and accepted my own." Sally replied. "I confess I was a tad overzealous in my own right. I've grown rather attached to this town, and the fact that I've yet to so much as see the vandals responsible prior to last night has left me less than dignified."
"Well I certainly saw them." Tails said, massaging his bruises. "It's strange. Earth is so far off the beaten path, which is why the owls hid the Master Emerald here, and yet we keep running into other mobians."
"And they all wanna kill us." Sonic said, shooting an accusatory glare at Knuckles.
"For the umpteenth time, I apologize." The echidna hissed.
"Not accepted." Sonic said with a sidelong glance.
"The point," Tails intervened, "the enemy your facing is one that has every reason to be anonymous. Sonic alone kept himself out of view for nearly eight whole years, and I'd assume Sally has done the same. If a mobian doesn't want to get caught, we have ways of doing that."
Sir Charles hummed at that, and he leaned forward.
"So, what'cher saying is that it takes a mobian to catch a mobian?" he asked.
Tails shrugged.
"Well, that's what Robotnik thought when he worked with Knuckles. I don't like admitting it, but he was rather smart, albeit immensely unhinged."
"Because he was working with an echidna warrior!" Knuckles declared while pounding his chest.
"Then that cinches it!" Sir Charles declared while rising from his seat. "Congratulations, kids! You're all hired!"
A collective silence filled the room. Tom and Maddie exchanged glances, as did Sonic, Tails, and Knuckles. Sally simply sipped her tea alongside Rosie.
"I know I'm going to regret asking," Tom spoke up, "but what're you talking about?"
"I've been trying to think of a gimmick to try and raise morale amongst the townsfolk, as well as spark some buzz for tourists, and these boys and our little sparrow has just given me a brilliant idea: a pixie hunt!"
He turned to Sonic.
"Tell me, son. Does Tommy boy still play Elf on the Shelf for Christmas?"
Sonic's face lit up.
"Oh heck yeah! I saw donut lord do that all the time during the holidays."
He shot Tom an impish look.
"I had a little holiday fun with him one year by being the one that hid the doll around the house. He was starting to think he was Haley Joel Osment from The Sixth Sense."
"That was you?!" Tom snapped angrily.
"Easy, Tommy boy." Sir Charles chided softly. "I was thinking we do something similar with all of you. The lot of you could sneak around through town trying to spot those fiends what invaded our town. In the meantime, we set up a game where people try to take photos of you on that Instaface and facegram websites."
Rosie's eyes lit up.
"Oh, that's a marvelous idea, honey. It'd definitely get the younger college kids that come around here on the summer holiday."
"I have too many problems with this." Tom said. "I mean, one: these guys are clearly dangerous and quite nearly killed Tails. Two: this is requiring someone to actually see the boys and Sally here. There's also this global group of goose-steppers that have tried to take Sonic and Tails before."
"Actually, getting GUN involved might be a good idea." Maddie spoke up. "Oh, make no mistake, I hate those guys too, but evil aliens invading earth is what they were assembled for."
Tom glared at her, but then Sally put down her tea and stood up.
"This town is my home. The only home I've known since Mobius was destroyed. I'm more than prepared to fight for it even if it means being seen and perhaps captured."
Sonic, never one to be stood up, jumped out his feet and flashed a thumbs up.
"Taking down bad guys and having fun all the way? Oh heck yeah! Sounds like an invitation to party."
"I wouldn't mind getting a little payback, myself." Tails added, hopping up to his own feet and wincing a bit. "I owe that bratty rabbit with the carrots for blasting me out of the sky."
"I have dedicated my entire life to lingering in the shadows." Knuckles said boldly. "To have to willfully step into the light and be seen by the enemy poses a challenge I gladly shall face."
Tom sank down in his chair once more, placing a hand over his head.
"This was supposed to be our vacation."
"Oh, stiff upper lip, love." Rosie tutted as she offered him some tea. "They're good boys, I can tell, and this could possibly stir up a lot of buzz for the town. Besides, what could possibly go wrong?"
It was at that moment, Sonic had gulped down the entire pot of tea alongside Knuckles, and the two had commenced a burping competition, both Tails and Sally shooting them with looks of disgust. Tom simply sipped his tea and did his best not to make eye contact.