Anonymous: Things are escalating quickly, and more forced are moving into play. While Sonic does suffer in Eggman's base, Johan deals with the doubts of even his closest companions. He's suffering in a different way.
/*-*/
Sonic walked under a tree, a large, beautiful tree. Something within him was vibrant and alive. He felt so happy as he moved to the shaded area. He saw two figures, one being soft and friendly. The other was beautiful with curves and symmetry, but the form was in shackles, sitting silently, but pleasantly. He couldn't make out the faces, but their posture gave him all of the expression he needed.
Sonic sat on what appeared to be a quilt, with food scattered all around it. As he sat down, both figures were overjoyed by his presence. Then, the friendly figure turned to the shackled figure. It approached and broke one of the shackles.
But as it approached the second shackle, Sonic saw movement along the tree. Snakes came from the tree and frighten the friendly figure. Sonic saw them pick up the shackled figure, and drag it away. As he stood up, a large snake snuck around him and bit him in the back. The pain was excruciating.
Sonic's eyes bolted opened. His arms and legs felt tight, his back was up straight. His stomach stung, but nothing too terrible.
"Good… Hedgehog… You're awake." Eggman grumbled, appearing to actually stand at a desk and look over some papers.
"Come on, Eggman. You think a little stab wound is going to do me in?" Sonic tried to sound confident, but his words came out slurred and distant. Apparently, he was numb.
"Oh don't even bother speaking. You're on quite the sedative. I am glad that you are not dead yet. It would be such a shame to spoil the fun of watching your beloved kingdom get destroyed. And the princess! Oh… I learn more about the princess with every little detail I read." Eggman grinned with a knowing smile that made Sonic curious and frustrated at the same time, "Little things, big things that I'm sure she never told you."
Sonic jerked a bit, but only found himself tired from his struggles.
"Oh yes, Hedgehog. I knew you would escape from those shackles eventually, which is why I put you in our little rat maze." Eggman grinned with a shadow over his face as he turned to face Sonic, "Now that you've used up your one chance to escape, I would say that you can just sit there and look pretty."
Sonic groaned as he slumped.
"Don't worry, the torture will stop… for now. After all, I wouldn't want you croaking before the main event." Eggman laughed and Sonic saw the Egg Carriers on a small screen appearing to blow up empty villages, "See how scared they are? They fled before my carriers even arrived. My empire is assured, and you get to watch the man who made it all possible." He threw his arms up triumphantly.
Sonic thrashed a bit more. His mind wandered to what Eggman said. He knew something about Sally? Was something wrong with her?
Eggman grinned and got close to Sonic, "Would you like to know a secret she was keeping from you?" He seemed almost like a child, ready to share some play ground secret.
Before Sonic could respond, Eggman grinned, "She hates you… Or maybe not "hates" but she has a lot of built up anger. I don't know why, the roboticizer was supposed to cut out the emotions, but she still had those ones."
Sonic snapped in his restraints, which appeared to magnetic and stronger than before. Sonic looked form of deception or lie in Eggman's eyes. Instead, he was met with the cold glasses that he wore on his face.
"That explains why she's been so eager to hurt you." Eggman smiled some more, "Unfortunately, I can't have her killing you just yet. So I'll keep her away, and maybe ask her a few more questions about some other things I learned." His tone dipped at those last words, as if he was even disturbed by something he learned.
Sonic jerked in the restraints as he left. Sally could be mad at him, but she wouldn't "hate" him, right? Sonic knew there was more to the story. There had to be.
Once again, his suspicions arose. She wanted Sonic to marry her. She did, and Sonic didn't listen. Maybe there was more that he didn't understand. Sonic stood on this truth: Eggman was controlling Sally, and making her hate him. Sonic would free her! He would… once he figured out how to escape again.
He went back to work, trying against his restraints.
/*-*/
The next few days were strange. They worked with surprising ease, building out the new sleeping barracks for the army. They were somehow effective when they sang and worked together. Some soldiers dropped onto the ground, exhausted and weak from pushing themselves.
"We're dead, we can't do anymore." Some would say in a lamenting voice.
Others would growl and say, "We can't do this! This isn't our job."
Johan would walk over and give them the same statement every time, "You can't do anything you won't work for."
And so, they worked. After four days, they had several buildings complete. They would start the day by eating, then they would go to work doing their tasks. The armies would break up and eat lunch on the commander's orders, and would go back to work later. Then the armies would eat dinner, and go sit around the Wolverine for a sermon.
Fiona began to notice little changes in the armies, however. Many of them stuck closer together, seeming to develop a sense of friendliness and unity.
She finally saw some of the Reasons behind Johan's choice of drilling. Working as a team built a sense unity. Their singing seemed to inspire them to work harder, and also gave a little bit of hope to the ones who were doubting.
Of course, Fiona approached Johan as they were setting off for a new training: Actually being given rifles.
"Yes, but there were other reasons." Johan growled, trudging across the dirt road to the hills, "Singing helps them understand the flow of battle. There is a tune to battle that a warrior must understand."
Fiona didn't know anything about that. It sounded almost mystical.
"As for my Sermons, I seek the favor of Heaven. The men may choose who they worship, who is right will be settled after death." Johan stopped at the top of the third hill, where several boxes were strung out in a circle.
Fiona frowned at those words. It didn't seem to address the issue. Still, her eyes wandered to the faces of eager young men, all ready to receive their new toys to go out and wage war with.
Johan growled into the mass of men, "Generals, Step forward!"
The men worked their way up to Johan. Most of them looked mildly excited, but a few were concerned as they arrived in rows, carrying their banners, the soldiers began to look unnerved.
Fiona quickly walked up to her brigade and stood on the edge of one of the rows. As they all waited, the excitement was tangible in the air. They were, after all, getting the weapons they had come for. Fiona, however, had focused on the little things they were working on. Her arms certainly felt stronger, more defined, and more stable. She felt lighter, happier and less prone to mistakes.
The men around her had mellowed out as well, seeming to relax at the camp. Several smiled and passed her friendly waves. Friendly, and that was as far as the waves went. They seemed to be respecting her distance… which was kind of a shame. Fiona was really feeling that sense of loneliness.
She found her mind again, longing for Scourge to come and sweep her away. They would go off, and Fiona would feel special once again. Why was she fighting?
She looked up at the banner of the Wolverine, and began to notice the smaller details that she didn't notice before. There were mobian children weaved into each of the banners. Some were screaming, others were playing. She was fighting for her brother, and nephew. That was why she fought.
Fiona's eyes were directed back to the generals, who had crates dropped on their arms, "I gift you these weapons, to arm your men, and aid you in battle. You will join your men in every battle, not giving orders that you would not follow." Johan growled loud enough for the entire army to hear. "You will not show cowardice, nor abandon those who have put their trust in you!"
As he passed out the crates, the commanders seemed to stagger. Once Johan had finished his rounds, he spoke up in a loud voice, "A weapon, is a symbol of freedom and adulthood. Use them well! With these weapons, you take your place as men."
The generals still stood there, struggling to keep the boxes in their arms.
Johan growled, "Give them to your men."
The generals nodded, with Gewis looking especially embarrassed as he carried the crate over to his army, their banner being a hammer. His men quickly gathered around him, and somewhat overwhelmed him. Everyone was excited about getting a gun.
Everyone except the old guard. They all had guns back at the armory. Johan assembled his soldiers, "I wish for all of you to aid the new ones with their weapons."
Fiona nodded slowly, and the resto f Johan's brigade responded the same. It wasn't going to be easy, but they didn't have time for easy. Fiona walked up to a group in Lanolin's army, "Hey, Mind if I show you boys something cool?" She asked in her most sly, charming voice which ushered the attention of all the boys, who promptly gazed at her chest.
Right, too much charm. Fiona snapped her fingers to get their attention upward. The boys promptly looked up at her snapping finger, which rested on the rifle, "You pull the bolt back to load the rifle, and put a clip right here." Fiona pulled the bolt up and back, before she pulled out a clip and pressed it over the opening in the top of the rifle. She slid her finger along the tip of the bullet.
The bullets were soft. They were training rounds, not real ammo, or rather, they shouldn't be used that way. They might have a little more punch than Fiona gave them credit for.
Her index finger got to the base of the bullet as the boys followed it carefully. Finally Fiona replaced her index finger with her thumb, and pushed the bullet downward. It collapsed into the magazine, and the empty clip stayed there, "And push the bullets in. Now you boys try."
The boys were still looking at Fiona with those love sick eyes. Their gawking got old fast, "Come on!" Fiona groaned and the men snapped out of the trance. They walked over to the boxes and pulled out a clip for each of their weapons. They got the instructions the first time, although each action was a little slow.
She had a feeling that they weren't entirely paying attention, but they still got the idea quick, "So these guns are really cool, they can hold two clips. You load the first in, and then the second in." Fiona loaded the clips inside and fiddled with a button on her shirt. The button opened up and the soldiers' eyes all looked up at her.
Fiona smiled back down at them, and put the button back, "Then you push the bolt back into place, and drop the lever." Fiona pushed the bolt in, and slapped the handle down against the wood.
The soldiers nodded quietly, like innocent, lovesick puppies. The soldiers then looked at their rifles, before looking back at Fiona. She gave them a smile, "Good job."
"Aw… man." One of the soldiers looked down as the others came to the realization of what Fiona had just done to them.
Fiona shrugged, "Hey, it worked, didn't it? You paid attention."
The soldiers all looked embarrassed. Fiona would have to heckle them later, because more soldiers needed to pay attention. She traveled from brigade to brigade, using the same trick which… partially worked. Some of the soldiers already knew how to use rifles, and others simply smiled at her.
Of course, not everyone was listening, or had the patience to listen to orders. Fiona saw Lanolin try to calmy command her men.
"Listen, I need you all to practice with your weapons, ok?" She sounded like she was talking to children, and not grown men. The men that weren't outraged, seemed to laugh at her.
"Listen, little-lady, I don't know what idiots you think you're talking to, but it's a gun, not too hard to use." A horse snorted at her as he looked down at her.
"Just practice, it can't hurt." The blue bear retorted from beside Lanolin.
She turned and gave a surprised yelp at … Oswald? Oscar, that was his name.
Lanolin looked less than pleased to see him, "I told you I didn't want to see you again."
"Well, I couldn't find a brigade that wasn't full. So looks like you're stuck with me." Oscar gave an innocent smile that told Fiona he had been hoping for the outcome.
Fiona realized she had been standing there, watching the argument waiting to happen unfold. Still, it was interesting enough to keep Fiona's attention a little longer.
"Well, It's nice to see how you treat your loyal followers." The horse chuckled, and a beaver behind him raised up a hand for a hi-five.
Lanolin turned to defend herself, judging by her posture, but she seemed to quickly lose motivation, and sighed, shaking her head.
Instead, Oscar chose to defend her, "Back off. She's been through more than you'll probably ever know. She has more than enough reasons to hate me." He drooped slightly at those words, before pushing his shoulders back.
Fiona didn't know the full story, and truthfully, she didn't care. But the fact that he was defending the sheep made it a little more interesting. Maybe they were exes?
"Look, buddy, I don't know who you think you are, but let me tell ya, if keep this up, I ain't gonna look out for you." The horse seemed to glare at the bear with that threat.
Oscar shrugged it off, "I got someone much scarier than you look out for me." He seemed pretty pleased at that retort.
Of course, the horse and his groupies didn't like that one bit.
"You two, stop it now!" Lanolin gave the order, and Oscar turned to her, looking hesitant but he nodded.
The horse, on the other hand, looked read to go. He picked up the rifle and glared at the bear, "Why? I think we can have a good… bonding… moment over this. Why don't we settle this on the field."
Lanolin shouted, "No! You two are not shooting at each other!"
The horse chuckled, "You don't listen too good, do ya? I want a simple, friendly competition. Nothin too dangerous. Let the boy put his money where his mouth is." As if to prove a point, the horse pulled out three hundred mobium bills.
Oscar blinked, before a smile came over his face, "So, I win and I get three hundred mobiums? And if I lose I lose?"
"Then you run off and don't ever come back." The horse chuckled with a confident grin.
"He can't do that!" Lanolin barked, "He's required to serve in the army!"
"I'm sure he could find a way." The horse dismissed her again, seeming to scratch his chin with the barrel of the rifle. Fiona almost hoped for a misfire, just for the humor of watching him make a fool of himself.
Fiona had to mentally scold herself for wanting something so horrible to happen to someone she was going to work with. Still, he didn't seem like too big of a loss.
"Instead of mobiums, how about this: If I win, you'll start respecting the chain of command, and listen to her orders." Oscar counter offered his challenging opponent, sounding very confident in his shooting abilities. Then again, he was one of the penal soldiers, which meant he probably had the most experience out of everyone in Lanolin's group.
The groupies around the horse seemed to go silent at that challenge, looking at him expectantly. He looked at all off them with a bit of anger and disgust, before sighing, "Fine, but when I win, you are gone."
"NO, I am forbidding this stupid competition of yours!" Lanolin barked at the two, "I'm your general, and I say that this is stupid, and you two will start working together."
"Ha, nice one, toots." The Horse snorted, waving her off, before walking up the hill, with Oscar in tow.
Lanolin held out an arm and stopped him, "What were you thinking? I don't need your help!"
Fiona decided that maybe, she could change things up and be the snitch this time. It would be a fun change of pace, that was for sure, but Lanolin also needed the help. The Wolverine could come in an straighten the men out, and get everyone back on track.
Fiona slipped away and got to Johan as he was doing pushups with the volunteers. Fiona could see sweat dripping from several of the volunteers' noses.
They pushed down, then up, then down again. Fiona could see a few who were sitting upright, sweat dripping from their foreheads and looking exhausted.
Johan still seemed to be energized, and continued his motions as Fiona stepped up to him, "Hey, I need to talk to you in."
"Speak then." Johan growled as he lowered himself down, and pushed up. A few more soldiers tapped out of the exercise. Gun fire could be heard in the distance, showing that some soldiers were beginning their training.
"I mean in private." Fiona clarified, slightly annoyed.
Johan pushed up again, and looked around. The men all seemed tired, some of their muscles were quivering from exhaustion and being pushed too hard. Johan growled at the men, "Enough, Rest, and prepare for more training later."
The men seemed to take his words to heart, and all stood up and left to go by the river, most likely to either take a swim or get some water.
Johan remained in his push up position, and growled, "Sit on my back."
Fiona blinked, "Excuse me?"
"Why?" Johan growled, "Sit on my back. Let me be pushed to my limit." He really couldn't stop, could he?
Fiona sighed, and sat down on the Wolverine's back, before muttering, "So, I went around and started helping the different armies. I just got some of the men to learn how to load their rifles."
"A valuable skill for any civilized armies." Johan growled, lowering himself and raising up, "Good work."
Fiona blinked and nodded, before explaining the situation, "I may or may not have heard some of the men giving Lanolin trouble. I think they are going to be a problem for her."
Johan lowered himself down, and raised back up again, "I did not ask for a spy. Do not that again."
"Did you not hear me? Lanolin's men won't listen to her." Fiona growled, agitated at his apathy with the situation, "You could afford to care a little bit about her." Fiona didn't even know why she was so defensive about Lanolin. It wasn't like they were friends.
"Do not confuse my lack of intervention with a lack of care for my warrior. I would love to have her succeed, but I will not save her from her own problems. A leader must learn to how to govern his or her followers." Johan growled simply, pushing back up and lowering himself again.
"She needs help." Fiona explained with a sigh. It wasn't hard to see she couldn't handle it alone.
Johan sighed as well, "No, she needs to learn how to deal with troublesome followers." Johan stopped his push up motions, and shook Fiona off. She plopped onto the ground, landing on her feet.
"You can't be serious." Fiona stated, brushing herself off, slightly annoyed by the fact Johan didn't give her warning before he shook her off.
Johan arched his back, before sitting on his butt, "If you ever loot a battlefield, you have to decide what is worth taking, what is worth melting down, and what is not worth even carrying."
Fiona sighed, "But she's not doing well with these guys, and we need them to fall in line." Fiona really couldn't fight much harder than this.
"She will learn, or suffer for it. I know she is a capable commander. I have seen her character. She will do well, and rise to the challenges her men send her." Johan growled firmly. He was really stubborn, wasn't he?
Fiona sighed, and threw her hands up, "Well, Two of her boys are about to settle things with a duel, and one is has to leave if he loses."
"Hmm, that is good." Johan seemed to nod in approval, "Competition will make them work harder and be better."
Fiona shook her head, "Well, they're practicing on a hill if you want to watch." Fiona sighed. She really couldn't get Johan to budge at all for her, could she?
Fiona walked off, and made her way up to one of the larger hills where Lanolin was standing. Her face indicated that she was not happy at all about this situation, but she also had a resigned look that they were going to do this no matter what.
Fiona climbed the hill and found herself next to Lanolin. The boys were looking out over the next hill, which had brown clay pots lined up with candles on top. It was actually pretty smart, so they could see when the light went out, and could give the right points out.
The Horse was spinning his rifle in his palm. Oscar was simply rubbing down his rifle without much flare to himself. He still sat there looking confident and a bit smug.
Lanolin groaned at Fiona, "If they keep this up, I will call Johan here to deal with them." She rubbed her eyes, exhausted, and her shoulders drooped with annoyance. She also had an expectant look like Lanolin was expecting Fiona to go and ask for her.
"I already talked to him." Fiona smiled, scratching her nose, "He said you'll need to learn to keep the boys in line, or you aren't really able to lead very good. He said let them have their competition."
"Why? They're just embarrassing everyone." Lanolin groaned, before sighing in displeasure.
"Well, it actually looks like they've got a lot of attention, and not even bad attention." Fiona pointed out as more soldiers gathered at the bottom of the hill to watch the shooting match. They were out of the line of fire so no one should have been at risk.
Lanolin sighed, "I really wish this didn't feel like two boys arguing for my attention." She walked up to the two competitors and sighed, "Alright, there are five targets for each of you. You will take turns firing up the range with five shots total. Who ever scores the most points wins this stupid bet."
/*-*/
Johan watched carefully from the distance, with Gewis still at his side. The two men were fighting dominance over the female. She had submitted to them by allowing them to engage in such a competition.
"You know, I get why you want them to practice shooting, but… nevermind." Gewis sighed as though his voice didn't matter. Johan was growing tired of his lack of courage. Why was he so hesitant to ask questions?
"Speak, stop being a coward." Johan growled in anger.
"Are you really ok with them challenging her so much? You picked her out, and gave her this job. Do they know about that?" Gewis asked.
"If they do or do not, it does not matter. She must learn to keep her men listening to her." Johan answered plainly. He knew there was a lion within the sheep. She just needed to bring it out.
"I don't think she's a fierce commander, she can't exactly scare the men into listening to her." Gewis mumbled in doubt. Again, he angered Johan with that lack of courage.
"She will become what she needs to be to lead her men. I know that she can rise to any challenge I give her. She is a diligent soul." Johan growled before the sight of Lanolin walking up to her men drew his attention to the competition.
Oscar was somewhat skilled with his rifle. His time fighting in the desert had proven to be very educating. His opponent walked with a arrogance, one that meant he was either experienced or foolish.
Johan's own soldiers, composed mostly of the prisoner army, were cheering for Oscar. That was not a surprise to Johan, as their time together had bred a sense of unity among the prisoner soldiers.
The two challengers set up their rifles, and took aim at the first target, which was the length of a drake from his homeland, which was about sixty feet. Johan kept his eyes on them as the rifle fire went out. The two candles vanished as the pots cracks and crumbled.
Both scored their shots, which meant neither had won yet. Then again, no victory was assured until the feud was over. Johan would watch with some level of enjoyment, allowing himself the brief moment relaxation as his brigade watched carefully.
The Second Rows of targets were further, and Johan had trouble judging the distance, only seeing the flicker of lights in the distance. The signal was given, and the rifles went out, bullets flying through the air and shattering the pots.
Johan closed his eyes and curled up, allowing himself to listen in an effort to get a better understanding of the targets. His eyes failed him when the third shots went out, but unmistakable shout of frustration from the snouted horse was not difficult to understand.
Johan stood up to go and congratulate the winner, Oscar. As He walked towards the hill, Johan saw them move into a firing position. Johan continued to move upward as the fired.
"This dang gun is worthless!" The Horse shouted bitterly, tossing the rifle through the air. It collapsed onto the ground as the horse stomped into the ground. Johan approached it with Gewis following silently.
Gewis picked up the rifle, and looked it over as Johan approached the two. Lanolin saw him and seemed to be on guard, stepping forward.
The Horse, however, didn't care or pay attention, "What kinda trick is that stupid gun of yours? You cheated, modded that thing somehow!"
"This thing? I've had it since Sand Blast city." Oscar smiled, rubbing down the barrel, honoring the weapon that had served him well.
"That's bull and you know it." The Horse balled a fist, and drew closer to Oscar. The Blue bear gripped his gun, ready to counter attack.
Johan decided to look away from the two, and look at Lanolin. This was a conflict she needed to resolve. It was become larger than a simple dispute. She looked rather afraid of the two, before her eyes met Johan's.
Johan sent her a silent command through his gaze. She looked back at him, before closing her eyes and gritting her teeth, "That's Enough out of both of you. I swear, my son has more self-control than you two."
That was a bad choice of words, Johan could tell. The horse turned to her and threw his fist. Johan moved, but Oscar stood in the way before Johan could intercept it. It knocked Oscar to the ground.
"ENOUGH!" Lanolin barked, "I'll have punished for your punishments if you don't control yourself!" Lanolin seemed to not understand how to deal with the horse.
"You idiot! Your sights were off by fourteen degrees left and two degrees up." Gewis shouted, seeming to be very upset with his brother getting struck.
The Horse turned to snarl at Gewis when he noticed Johan's large form standing there. Johan would deal with this little problem.
The Horse finally took a moment to reconsider his position and attitude, "H-How long have you been standing there."
"Long enough." Johan growled, crawling closer. The horse stepped back, seeming grow more afraid as Johan drew closer.
Johan held up his hand, and Gewis tossed him the rifle. Johan looked over the rifle. There was already dirt and grass on it. "Your weapon is badly treated. If you do not take care of it, it will fail you when you are at risk. Take care of it." Johan growled, dropping the weapon on the ground.
The horse nodded quickly, and got low. Johan brought his fist down on the horse's back, sending him to the ground with his weapon. Johan felt his lungs shrink from the force of blow.
Johan growled, "I trust you will not have anymore issues with your weapon." He glared down at the miserable, annoying fool.
The horse was silent, but nodded his head quickly. Johan then turned and walked up to a disturbed Lanolin, "That is how you handle the hopelessly stubborn and arrogant."
She looked at him with a gaze of sadness, and anger, but she nodded, "Thank you, I suppose."
"Attend to your man, he endured pain for you." Johan growled at her, gazing at Oscar, who rubbed his cheek.
Lanolin nodded, and walked over to him.
Gewis approached Johan, "You could have started with that." He sounded angry with Johan.
"I could have, but what would Lanolin have learned from that? That someone will always step in to save her from her own failures? No, She needed to solve that dispute herself." Johan growled back, and Gewis softened his gaze a bit, before nodding.
Johan then looked at the rifles. He had chosen to give out weapons to start training the soldiers as time drew close. They were still lacking in steel and guns. Johan still needed to give out armor, and while he could several men on cannons and anti-air guns, he still needed to produce more.
Johan knew of an a way to get steel, but he was hesitant to approach it. His pride would be wounded to…
What a fool Johan was. Pride had no place in such desperate situations. Johan growled at Gewis, "I leave my men with you. I am leaving for a time. It shall not be long."
"What, where are you going?" Gewis asked desperately.
Johan looked south to the mountain, "To get more steel."
/*-*/
Sonic suffers in the face of his beloved's hatred. Fiona has managed to become a pillar of the army, but is only so capable. Johan pushes himself and his men, preparing for a rapidly closing window.
Please leave a review and let me know what you thought, any theories you have or improvements I should make.
Thank you.