CHAPTER 3: BLOOD AND OIL
Sally Acorn stood the third tallest amongst her family, overlooking the combination of United Federation citizens, both human and Mobian, talking to one another, interacting with the many booths which were showing inventions that, in her mind, ranged from impractical to absolutely wacky, but all of them had good intentions at least! It was the most life Central City's Union Square had seen in years. Her father, King Maximillian Acorn the III, stood the tallest out of them all and yet could very easily see the look of apathy on his daughter's face. He leaned over to ruffle her bright red hair.
"What seems to be the matter, dear daughter? Has NICOLE experienced some glitches today?" the King asked.
Sally sighed as she fumbled around in her denim blue jacket, pulling a small computer out from one of its pockets. NICOLE, named after a previous Acorn Queen, was something of a technical marvel, even in its coexistence in time as some of the latest achievements by Robotnik Enterprises, and at times like these, it was her only companion in her times of great loneliness. The only difference between NICOLE and Cluck was that at least NICOLE could talk.
In the back of the chipmunk's mind, she could barely hear her father growing concerned. "Sally? Do we need to take her to Dr. Ellidy again?"
Her baby blue hues finally snapped back to reality, looking at her father as if she didn't just zone out. "I'm fine, Daddy! It's just that NICOLE has been giving odd readings in the air traffic radars today." Sally responded.
The King raised his eyebrow at such a strange pastime. He couldn't help but chuckle. "Air traffic radars? When did my little daughter turn into such a worrywart? I'm sure it's just a couple of the Robotnik Enterprises video drones. Believe me, we have the best security money can buy."
For some reason, the princess just couldn't shake the feeling that he would be disproven. Out of the corner of her eye, deep within the far reaches of her peripheral vision, she saw a small blue streak of light scale the tall buildings that surrounded them. The synapses of her memory worked themselves to understand why a sense of familiarity washed over her…
"Hey, Daddy," Sally asked, leaning over to her father, "…would you mind if I went into the fair and just poked around for a bit?"
"Of course, I don't mind, sweetheart!"
The teenage chipmunk leaned further and gave the older one a quick peck on the cheek, before waving at both him and his wife, mother to her, Queen Alicia Acorn. "Thanks, Daddy! I'll see you two again come time for Mr. Robotnik to announce their new project!" Sally called out.
"Don't get too lost!" King Acorn called back.
"You concern yourself too much, Max. You know Sally is very much as capable by herself as she is with our guard." the queen cooed, using her free hand to massage the top of Max's shoulder. Max inhaled and exhaled slowly, before soothing himself. "I know, Alicia, dear. Just a father's concern, I guess."
"Lord, you're beginning to remind me of me!"
The royal couple silently laughed at one another before quickly sharing a swift kiss on one another's lips.
—
The alleyways of Central City were so dirty compared to even the most derelict of market streets in the Acorn castle; this was the first thing the princess noticed when she made her way into one of them, keeping an eye out for anything and anyone that could be hiding around the corners or further in the shadows just waiting for the right moment to strike. Sally looked for clues, any signs that he was here. Electric cyan-colored sparks, soft and brisk nipping of wind at her fur, glowing green eyes, a terrible joke, she would've taken anything.
It would be the first time she's seen that face in years. Ever since her father forbade her from interacting with such, as he would say, 'commoners,' she never forgot how the hedgehog and her would go on many adventures in the Central City park, how he made her feel like she could have a friendship that would make or break royal social circles if a little squabble happened. The hedgehog made her feel like she could be her age for once. He made her feel safe.
He made her happy.
The growing nostalgia and the shining feeling of hope made her think back to a simpler time in her life. She thought back to the city of Westopolis and its lovely park.
—
"Max, do you think it's smart to let her wander off? She's only ten!" her mother towered over Max as he relaxed against one of the many benches that sat alongside a cobblestone path. All around them was a very slight variation in the terrain level, populated only by some bushes, one pond, and some distant oak trees. The lack of foliage led to the park looking and feeling surrounded by skyscrapers, which admittedly did look nice against the sunset sky.
The King looked up at his wife, placing a hand on her cheek, "Dear, she's fine! She knows not to wander off too far."
"But, what if—"
"Darling, it's okay. Besides, you know all three of us need to get out of that castle every once and a while. If she loses sight of us, she'll come right back."
Alicia looked on as her daughter chased a butterfly, which flapped its colorful wings to try to escape. Sally's giggles filled the air, seemingly calming the Queen enough to where she took a seat next to the King.
Sally's chase of the butterfly led her down a winding path that circled bushes and climbed some man-made boulders and some trees before something caught her attention; a shockingly cobalt blue form laying on the ground. It appeared to be looking at the slowly revealing stars, which twinkled in its eyes. The chipmunk slowly approached it, a hand slightly extended.
"Hi!" she squeaked happily.
This put the form in a sudden frenzy as he yelped out in fear, struggling to get up. It was a hedgehog, a boy one at that. He finally got up all the way and saw his intruder. Sally extended both hands out now, knowing that if her parents heard, they would come running over. However, this made the boy cower even more… "Hey, hey! It's okay, I'm not going to hurt you!"
The boy slowly let his guard down, realizing that she didn't mean any harm.
"Sorry…" he whispered. The hedgehog's voice was somewhat hoarse, and the chipmunk noticed. He had a little red coloration in the corner of his
"You have nothing to be sorry about! I'm sorry I startled you. Are you okay?" Sally asked the boy, slowly walking towards him, hands far away from her to show him that she had nothing to hurt him with.
"Yeah. 'Was doin' fine until you showed up." the boy replied, sighing as he sat back down on the grass. He went back to looking up at the sparkling lights in the sky.
Sally felt a bit hurt by the way he phrased his perspective of her intrusion, but it wasn't like she didn't understand. It seemed as if he wasn't against her being here, though, or else he would've made it clear, right? The chipmunk finally sat down opposite the boy, far away enough to where her back wasn't poked by his spikes. "I'm sorry…"
The hedgehog sighed, realizing that he may have hit a soft spot. "It's okay, I didn't mean it like that. I just… hate sudden loud noises. And…"
He wanted to mention something about raised or extended hands. For him, it was something that often put him in a sense of unease on good days, and when it was one of the bad days, made him fear for his life. The hedgehog scoffed to himself, deciding not to let this stranger indulge in his mind so deeply this soon. "Yeah, just loud noises."
"Really? Are ya' not like a lot of other kids, then? Like, they hear a firetruck siren and they cheer, and you can't stand it?"
"I have really, really strong hearing. Sensitive, I guess, is what they call it."
"Well, I really am sorry."
"Girl, please, you're startin' to sound like a broken record."
Sally scoffed at the boy's nickname, "My name isn't 'girl,' hedgehog."
The boy finally let out a soft laugh, turning his body to face the princess. "So, what is your name?"
"Sally, Sally Acorn." she said, turning her body too to face him. "You?"
"Oh? Yer' an Acorn? Like the royal family of Acorn?"
Sally felt a warmth flush her cheeks, bashfully shaking her head. "I'm King Maxamillian's daughter."
"Nice! So, whaddya prefer? Sal? Princess?" the boy teased the girl with a small grin quickly taking precedence, his voice low in tone to emphasize the last word.
"Ha, ha. Very funny. What about you? What's your name?"
"Maurice," he said back as he looked into her baby blues. Something inside him felt so different when he was around her. Almost as if her aura gave him a sense of comfort he had not felt in a long time. "Ya' wanna go on an adventure?"
"You know what? That sounds nice! Lead the way."
Maurice jumped to his feet, almost tripping over his red sneakers, seemingly two sizes too big for him. Sally laughed, figuring that maybe he only kept them around for sentimental reasons. She stayed silent in case it was a personal thing of his. "Alrighty then, princess. Follow me!"
With one swift motion, Maurice picked the chipmunk up in his arms, the princess yelping at the sudden touch. The boy chuckled as he stayed still to let the chipmunk adjust to her surroundings. After seeing her eyes calm, they sped off toward one of the largest oaks in the park for what they will always refer to as their first mission.
—
"Hello?..." a meek voice called out as it escaped her lips.
Suddenly, another voice that popped out behind her caused her to jump high into the air, frightened by the immediate presence; "Hey, princess. Long time, no see."
Sally turned around to see her old friend, Maurice the Hedgehog, leaning against the wall with a slump as he juggled a small blue gemstone in his one hand. He still had the pair of two-toned, fingerless gloves that he had all those years ago, his red sneakers, as well as the messy quills. The chipmunk's face lit up with joy as she instantly went in for a hug, wrapping her arms around him to the best of her ability.
"Maurice! Oh, Gaia, how long has it been?!"
"Too long," Maurice said softly, trying to undermine the unconscious flinch his body had once she had made contact as he returned the favor by wrapping his arms around her petite figure. It had been a long time since anyone, in general, had given him a touch of this kind, some kind of contact that felt warm and inviting in comparison to the cold, hard, and sometimes frightening touch that someone like Fang would usually "give." He couldn't remember clearly, but he figured that Manic and Sonia, his baby brother and sister respectively, were the ones to hold that title.
Maurice would have loved to stay in this position, in her arms, but soon enough, he had to break it. He slowly let go so he could finally have a look into her baby blue eyes with his emerald greens. "So… how's things?"
"Well, now, they're great! I didn't know you moved out of Westopolis."
"Manic and Sonia, well… they got taken, adopted by someone else. I may or may not have broken out and have basically been on the run, living where I can."
"Oh, Maurice, I'm so sorry, you know I would have—" Sally said, immediately going into a sort of comforting mode. She didn't realize that a lot has happened since their last meeting.
Maurice put up a hand to stop her from finishing her sentence, "Sal, ya' know yer' Dad wouldn't want a guy like me around. It's fine, besides, I got a place of my own… and that's about it."
"Do you have a job?" Sally asked.
"Well," Maurice said, messing with his quills, "…it's a long story. I may or may not be out of one, but see, that's kinda why I came to see you once I heard you were gonna be in town. Yer' family's a bunch of rock collectors, right?"
Sally cocked her eyebrows, giggling, "You mean mineral and gemstone collectors. Rocks can be fascinating, but my family's all for the stuff they can make."
"Right, right… well, you wouldn't know anything but this, would you?"
Sally had finally noticed that the hedgehog was carrying a small blue jewel in his hand, crystal clear, and shiny, it even glowed when in the dark! The cut was immaculate, and the inclusions, while her father would say that it lessened their value, gave it its own look.
She was stunned. "That's an emerald! Where did you get that?"
"I got it off my boss, who got it off some armadillo kid." Maurice responded as he held it up so the chipmunk could get an easier look. "I know it's an emerald, but never one like this. Figured you'd at least seen it before."
"I ask because Mr. Robotnik has a similar one of those for his announcement. It has the same cut, the same refractoriness, and the color is perhaps the only thing different! Yours is blue, his is red."
"So, what, it supposed to be some sort of fuel for something? I've seen comic books that had diamonds be used as a fuel source, but never an emerald. How could that even be possible?" Maurice began wondering to himself before something struck his mind like a truck; Mighty. "That armadillo kid…"
"What about him?" Sally asked.
As his fingers ran through his quills some more, he let out a sharp inhale, knowing he had to be careful with how he worded things. "Basically, when he had it, it gave him some weird boost in strength. We sorta got in a scuffle, and he gave me a dark spot or two."
Sally's eyes widened, seeing those said spots across the side of his body and his muzzle. "Wow, he got you good… Why were you two fighting?"
And there it was. Maurice slowly began whistling a small tune, staying silent in terms of actually answering the princess' question. Sally scoffed, knowing that this was an obvious sign that the hedgehog didn't want to tell the full truth, despite how he hated to lie. "Maurice T. Hedgehog, I finally get to talk to you after so many years, you can't hide anything from me. Talk to me."
The hedgehog sighed, breaking from the chipmunk's worry, which he appreciated either way. "My job was that I… fought some people. I win, I get a percent of the winnings. It was at least enough for me to put food on the table, Sal."
Sally's face fell, knowing exactly what and who he was talking about now.
"Oh, dear, please tell me you aren't working under that Fang the Sniper thug, are you?" Sally asked as she reached far to touch the small quill that lined behind one of the hedgehog's twitching and blushing ears. She had known about Fang for years, always seeing the hybrid show up in news headlines for anything from botched bank heists to attempted hits on public figures. She was all too familiar with his other hobbies.
Maurice stayed silent again, leaving the princess to sigh. "Well, you said you were maybe, maybe not out of one, hopefully, I take it that means you left that bum."
"We'll see what happens." the hedgehog replied with a small chuckle.
"So, you have an emerald that has an odd strength-enhancing ability, and can be used as a fuel source… Maurice, do you believe in some myths out there?" Sally asked.
"I dunno, ya' give me something that shows it's true, I can believe it."
"What about the legend of the Chaos Emeralds?"
"I'm sorry, the what Emeralds?"
Sally, a sense of frustrated annoyance washed over her, "Seriously? All this time later, and I still end up wondering where you were when they were handing out brains."
"And, this officially takes me back." Maurice snapped back with a smirk. Sally could only huff before resuming.
"They're supposedly a set of seven artifacts that give their user power! Maurice, if this is a Chaos Emerald, and just one could really do this," Sally said, pointing to the hedgehog's bruises, "… then imagine what Robotnik Enterprises could do. This may very well not be a good thing!"
"Even if they are, what do we do, just steal it off one of the biggest companies in the world in front of a million eyes, including a King, who just so happens to be yer' Dad who hates my guts? Get real, Sal!" Maurice said.
"What? No!" Sally snapped back, "That's not—I'm not saying we have to steal them, we'd just be taking it off their hands for a while so we can try to understand them more!"
Maurice smirked seeing his friend get overworked, knowing that after all these years later, things did not change, not just for him but for the princess. He may not say it out loud, but he missed this. He missed her. He missed feeling like he could be a child again, with no responsibility, or worry. She did that for him. She made him feel safe.
She made him happy.
"You tellin' me ya' wanna go on another…" he said, slowly lowering himself as if he was beginning to pose dramatically.
"Don't—"
"Super secret adventure?" Maurice said in a whisper, giving his friend a quick teasing wink.
"Please no..." Sally whispered to herself with a slight smile, facepalming. She may have said no out loud, but inside, she felt her heart jumping for joy, as it heard exactly what she had been wanting to hear.
"Too late," Maurice said with a softer smile now, putting his index finger against her lips to silence her, "… we're rolling out now!"
Before Sally could react, the hedgehog did something that not only was she expecting, but something that brought back so many more memories of their time together from long ago; Maurice quickly swept the chipmunk princess off her feet, carrying her in a bridal-like way without breaking a sweat before speeding out of the alleyway to get a better view.
—
Mobians and humans gathered around one of the larger stages as a skinny bald man stood up to applause. Snively Robotnik had since earned enough stress to last a lifetime since he had ousted his uncle from the company. He had begun showing signs through visible and physical symptoms such as tiredness in his voice, the multiple wrinkles in his face, and most obvious of all, the lack of hair.
Of course, there were more signs of the stress getting to him, but it wasn't like anyone outside some nearby neighbors of his penthouse would know. He tried to tolerate his latest lack of sleep by taking deep breaths in and out before finally leaning in to speak into the microphone.
"Excuse me, everyone? I'd like to thank you all for coming out to the grand opening of our first annual World of the Future Science Fair!" the man welcomed them during their applause. "My name is Mr. Snively Robotnik, CEO of Robotnik Enterprises, of which we're a sponsor! I know you all want to go back to witnessing all of the innovation this world has to offer, but if I may take just five to ten minutes of your time, I want to show you the latest in what we have to offer."
That certainly got the attention of not only the people who clapped at the man's welcoming but the people that were even further off into the event. Snively smirked as he walked to a white tarp, embellished with the company logo, pulling it all off with a single try. "Ladies and gentlemen, you're looking at the latest in crime prevention and termination; thanks to the cooperation and collaboration of both the local police forces and the Guardian Units of Nations, we have devised a new generation of robotic technology."
Behind him was a fleet of robotic mechs, more advanced than any of the badniks that his uncle had stored in the depths of the city now. Some were humanoid with legs, and some were able to hover and move in all directions, with no need for wings. It was progress, even in the face of the constant stealing of supplies. Even without the help of his useless uncle.
"These G.U.N. robots which we have codenamed the 'Beetle' and 'Hunter,' will be at the disposal of any and all law enforcement entities on every level! They are trained for combat, but do have the latest information in psychological studies in hopes to reduce any violent outcomes! We even have heavy-duty models being developed as we speak for other scenarios such as war and disaster relief," Snively explained as he walked towards one of the Hunters, patting its knee with a proud smile. "All of them run via a central power source that is completely non-reliant on the power grid!"
All of these selling points were being sold to the crowds below, and Robotnik was eating it up. His hubris was on a rampage, the feeling was addicting and he didn't want it to stop. He walked over to yet another object also covered in a Robotnik Enterprises tarp.
"Before, we got power from fossil fuels or the sun. For this project, however, we turn to the earth—"
The second tarp was pulled, and just as the rumblings and the lossy quality of the images released said, it was a red jewel, proudly standing. It glowed and refracted the sunlight as its power was being consistently pulled.
—
"There it is—" Sally exclaimed.
The hedgehog and chipmunk both had begun resting on the edge of a nearby building's roof, looking down to where they could see everything the CEO was showing off. Maurice looked at the gem and could feel a wash of kleptomania overcome him.
"Man. Imagine the cash that thing's worth… imagine what two r' worth…" Maurice whispered to himself.
Sally looked at her friend, hearing every word that he thought came out of his mouth quietly. She was disappointed and let him know via a quick smack to the shoulder. Maurice jumped, and he felt his body freeze immediately thereafter. "Will you focus?" she said.
It was almost like paralysis. Yes, he had been roughed up before in his fights, and yes, he had been beaten a time or two by Fang, but something always felt different here. It was different when it always came from someone he trusted. His senses closed off and yet were heightened at the same time; his hearing was muffled yet could hear every sound, his sense of touch felt numb, and yet could feel every bump in the concrete he lay on.
He heard Sally call out to him, and without missing a beat, the hedgehog shook his head, trying desperately to ignore the out-of-nowhere zoning out. He finally heard the chipmunk ask him if he was okay, and Maurice just looked at her.
"What?" Maurice asked.
"I said, are you okay?…" Sally asked back.
"Oh… Of course, I am, just thinkin' to myself. Trynna focus like you wanted me to!"
A little guilt slowly swallowed the chipmunk as she shook her head to try to ward it off. She should've known not to be so physical with him even if he was being a bit annoying in her book. From the time that she had known him, he always hated quick, unexpected physical contact unless there was a feeling of warmth behind it, like a hug. She just looked at the hedgehog to mouth a silent apology before turning her attention back to the man on the stage.
A small beep caught the duo's attention; it was NICOLE, once again giving the princess a notification.
"No way, ya' still have th' ol" girl all these years later?" Maurice asked, trying his best to make sure that the atmosphere in the air, as well as the subject of conversation, had changed.
Sally ignored the question, for now, opening up the computer—
"What is it, NICOLE?"
"Sally, I'm detecting an unidentified flying object in the area via the Central City Air Traffic Radar. I believe it's the same one that I picked up seven minutes and forty-three seconds ago." an artificially created female voice explained. This was NICOLE's official voice, a new addition to the program. "It's larger in size than the Robotnik Enterprise video drones."
Maurice's eyes widened, "Woah, she can talk too?"
"Things change, Maurice. NICOLE, can you tell us this object's location?" Sally said.
"Fetching now, Sally."
"Hey…" Maurice whispered, as he gently put a hand on the chipmunk's shoulder. "I don't think yer' gonna need that… look."
Sally looked in the same direction that her friend pointed out, and she saw it too; a small black speck in the air at the moment. The noise it made, though, was like a fighter jet. It was ear-piercing, and constant, much like the city ambiance below it. Soon enough, the duo noticed that they weren't the only ones who saw the approaching figure—
"Remember when I said maybe we shouldn't steal that thing in front of a bunch o' people, yer' Dad included? Cause I got a bad feeling we may not have a choice…"
—
Snively also noticed the flying pod in the sky. It took his eyes a second or two to adjust to the bright sky, and even then, he couldn't make out any of the details of the vehicle. Soon enough, however, the realization would sideswipe him like a tonne of bricks; this was one of their prototypes, now fully realized.
"Uncle?"
Before he could see if he was really the prototype's pilot, two large explosions went off, the heat alone being enough to blow him off balance. Screams erupted among the other patrons of the science fair as they scrambled, trying to find an exit. The pod slowly descended towards him, and when the glass windshield retracted into the cold metal body, through blurred vision, he could see two blue goggle lenses shine a demonic orange with the reflection of the fire.
"Hello, dear nephew!" the pilot said.
—
"Who the heck is that guy?!" Sally said.
"I dunno… but it doesn't look good down there. I gotta get that emerald away from those guys!"
Maurice started getting up, as Sally gripped his arm to keep him from going anywhere. "Wait, Maurice, let the authorities handle this! We can find that emerald later, but we have to get out of here!"
The hedgehog grabbed the princess' hand, staring into her eyes with a comforting look, before taking it off his forearm easily somehow. "This is our chance, Sal! If the authorities take it, or Robotnik Enterprises, who knows where they'll take it? And after this, I'm gonna guess that they ain't gonna have that thing on full display after this either."
"Maurice—"
"Sal, it's either now or never. I promise ya, I'll make it back in one piece!" he said with a smirk before disappearing over the roof edge. Sally tried reaching out, trying to object, but it was too late. A clean blue streak garnished with little cyan sparks of static electricity was all that was left.
"Oh, we're in so much trouble…" she mumbled to herself, before making her way to a nearby ladder to attempt to catch up.
But, how do you ever catch up to someone who's as fast as Mother Nature itself?
—
"You… you're alive?" Snively whispered.
"Surprised?" Robotnik replied.
"So, you were the culprit behind the heists on our supply trucks! Why are you here, Uncle? You've apparently taken enough to make a flying death machine! What more could you want off my corpse, you vulture?!" Snively cried out now, pointing out toward his relative with utter disdain.
Robotnik let out a laugh that was so haunting that Snively could feel the soundwaves pierce his heart with what he could only describe as fear. Fear for what his uncle had in mind for him now after so long. "I don't want any more of your toys anymore, nephew. I want something more renewable, and as it turns out, you have just what I need."
"The emerald…"
"Now, you're starting to see, aren't you? After all these years, I've told you that you would regret turning me away when you could've just as easily picked it all up with me by your side. You turned away my genius because of one experiment going wrong! You knew how much I sacrificed!" Robotnik yelled out in a guttural roar, the years of pent-up frustration finally having a vessel to be taken out on. The revenge plan that he had been planning since that day was finally beginning to show its ugly face on his relative. "I want you to watch me as I take the only chance your gilded facade has left to make it all your own, and you can do me one last favor—"
Snively's constant nightmares flashed through his mind; to see the monster that he had built up and conjured with only his brain in front of him, towering over him in the leftover scraps of his own work, scared him. It made him fear that soon, a surprise mechanism that this abomination to humanity had created would slowly and painfully take his life away with the same precision that the abomination itself would incorporate if he had done it with his bare hands.
Robotnik quickly parked the pod in the air, getting out to walk towards the red emerald before leaning over his nephew's limp body… "—and die."
Before the doctor could reach and touch the jewel, a forceful wind kicked ash and dust up and surrounded the two humans. They both coughed as they tried to look past the debris to see what was its cause before it dissipated just as quickly as it started. Robotnik looked back to his mission objective to find it missing!
"What did you do?!" Robotnik yelled as he looked back down at his nephew, who could now feel saliva shoot onto his skin.
"Lookin' for this?"
This was an unfamiliar voice to both of them. They turned, and behind them was a blue hedgehog holding the red emerald in its hand, smirking on his peach-colored muzzle. Maurice.
"Who're you?" the doctor grumbled.
"As of now, the person makin' sure this rock right here stays safe!" Maurice said, his demeanor slowly changing from cheeky to serious.
"You bring that back right now, or you'll experience a demise even worse than what I have planned for this absolute scum of the gene pool!"
"Yeah, sorry, but I don't think so—"
Snively let out a measly cough as he cut in on the conversation, "If I may, hedgehog, you're holding a jewel that has energy capabilities beyond your understanding. If you will-"
Robotnik grumbled as he gently stepped on his nephew's hand, causing the other to yelp. "You. Stay quiet."
"Ah, so you two have a connection, then? That's cool. Wish I could stay and chat, but I got what I needed." the hedgehog snarked as he prepared to run, "See ya later, dumb and dumber!"
Before the two could reach out to tackle the Mobian, the kid sped off, leaving the two in shock! Snively, however, spent more effort trying to get out from under his uncle's boot. Robotnik, meanwhile, couldn't help but shake the sense that he had seen this type of ability only once before…
The doctor reached for a small device in his ear. "Get that hedgehog…"
Maurice felt sweat drip down the side of his head as he sped past the carnage and the chaos of the crowds that could barely separate in time for him to pass without causing injury. "Alright, I got em'. Now, to get back to Sally, and we're home fre—"
His self-pep-talk had been interrupted by a sudden mass of red that knocked the hedgehog off of his feet, rolling onto the ground to a complete stop with an extra bruise or two. Maurice cringed as he tried getting up. "Ow! What the heck was that?"
"Holder of the Emerald!" a booming warrior's voice called out to him.
The hedgehog looked and saw a red echidna glide to a graceful landing in front of him, big white boxing gloves hitting against one another. Maurice figured that this guy had hit much harder than Mighty did, even with the power of the gemstone on hand.
"Speaking?…" he mumbled under his breath.
"You are in possession of a Chaos Emerald, which rightfully belongs to me. Give it to me!"
"Look, pal, I've been having people tell me to give them whatever I had in my hand for a while, especially today! I think I'm gonna keep this with me just this one time. Promise you and whoever your boss is that I'll keep it safe and maybe return it pretty soon!" Maurice said.
"You speak with immaturity; I should've known as such. Have it your way, then…"
The echidna launched forward, and even if Maurice had still been in the middle of healing from that fight with Mighty, he was still able to dodge all of the redhead's attacks. However, the problem was that the speed was unlike the armadillo, or worse, anyone that the hedgehog had the "pleasure" of fighting. The force behind the punches too was enough to knock anyone unconscious in one blow! Sonic pondered quickly if he could use his speed and the more open area to his advantage— Soon, the hedgehog took an opportunity after the warrior's latest punch and sped off to lead the echidna on a chase!
The hedgehog let the redhead tail him, knowing that soon, he may get tired enough to give him a chance to fight back properly.
"Okay, so maybe we got off on the wrong foot! I'll start- you can call me the Blue Blur, Cobalt Tasmanian Devil, or Whirlwind, I honestly don't care. You?" Maurice said quickly as it was the only free moment he had without having to move his entire body out of the way so violently to avoid the daggers on the other's gloves.
"All that matters to you is that I'm going to win this battle, and you will be forgotten just as easily as you appeared!"
"Ya' know what, that's understandable," Maurice said.
Knuckles quickly jumped up into the air and launched himself with the momentum buildup towards the hedgehog, and made contact with a loud thud, sending the two sprawling onto the pavement. The nearby bystanders watched, some pulling out their phones to film the scuffle. Maurice, after being hit by the force, was sent flying and in turn, the two Chaos Emeralds were sent hurtling toward the ground, bouncing.
The two Mobians looked up, gasping. Thankfully, the emeralds didn't seem to take any damage; not even a chip or crack formed on the glowing gemstones. It was utter silence between the two of them, before they snapped to quickly look at one another. They launched into another quick fight, with Maurice taking a few direct hits, yet somehow, he still remained on his feet.
Maurice felt the bruises develop all over his body, and the copper taste in his mouth had once again returned. He grunted as he finally gained the sense to dodge one of the fists, before quickly speeding his way around the echidna. He took both of his hands to hold the echidna in place before using his feet to air-kick his opponent into a nearby car, shattering the windows and twisting the metal. The hedgehog slowly wiped the sweat off his brow before making his way to the Chaos Emeralds, quickly picking them up as he heard the echidna's war cry.
This time, the echidna attempted a similar trick as his metal shoe sole came flying at the hedgehog's back spines, but Maurice quickly flipped into the air and to the right, making sure to hold on to the jewels as tightly as he could. He could now see Knuckles, seething as he slowly approached him. His fur was now stained in red, covered in cuts, and yet despite this, he seemed to be as alert as he was during the beginning of this fight.
"Your insistence to distract me with your quips is as useful as a screen door on a battleship!" Knuckles said, before throwing a punch close to the annoying teenager to stop the race until Maurice's hand simply stopped it; the immovable object stopping the unstoppable force. Maurice simply looked stumped, not at the fact that he stopped the attack, but at what the echidna said.
"… you mean screen door on a submarine?" Maurice said.
"Just give me the stone and die with honor already! You do not deserve possession of the Chaos Emerald!" Knuckles now screamed at the hedgehog, refusing to pull any more punches.
The hedgehog's mind suddenly froze enough to where it could process the information just given. "Wait, so this is a Chaos Emerald?!"
"It doesn't matter. You're not coming out of this fight unless it's in a body bag!"
—
"Freeze!"
'Of course, there just had to be more interruptions,' the doctor thought. As he saw his partner fight this random child for his mission objective, he had another problem arise in the form of Acorn guards that slowly drew their weapons. He heard them demand his surrender; to step away from "Mr. Robotnik," and to put his hands in the air.
"Of course! Just let me…" he said, before quickly pushing a button on his lab jacket.
The pod that he had been using for transportation for so long suddenly turned on, its headlight turning on as if exhibiting signs of having a life of its own. The Acorn guards tried to apprehend the doctor, as well as the vehicle by moving forward. Before they could do anything, though, the pod immediately rammed into the Mobians, tossing them aside like ragdolls to protect its master. The doctor smirked as he climbed in with the help of the pod descending enough.
"Hey, Snively!"
Snively finally felt relief as he picked himself up amongst the ever-growing flames and ash around him, not just of his project, but of the company itself.
"What was it you told me all those years ago? That I was out?"
The nephew gritted his teeth together as he felt a certain taste filling his mouth alongside his head-pounding headache. He desperately tried keeping his tattered green suit together as long as possible, even as he knew that it wouldn't matter anyways, at least not in the next ten seconds.
"Well, here we are—I'm not out anymore, dear nephew! You are!"
Behind the two Robotniks, the hedgehog and echidna had run their way back to Union Square, still fighting over who would have the pleasure of holding the powerful artifacts in their hand. However, a rising metallic screeching sound had finally stopped the fight, which both of them were silently grateful for as they both had new cuts and bruises to deal with. They slowly caught their breath as they looked over only to hear a single scream for mercy and to see a bright flash of light.
When the Mobians' vision returned, slightly blurred from the sudden nature of the pod's weapon's muzzle flash, they only saw the doctor sitting victoriously above a pile of ash. Knuckles' eyes widened as he stood up. The heart of the warrior, according to the ways that he was taught by his tribe meant that during any sort of combat that things remained honorable, even when in wartime with their worst of enemies. There was no honor in front of him; it was a war crime.
Maurice looked in his vicinity, and he felt his heart drop as the red Chaos Emerald was nowhere to be found! The blast must've made him drop it. He then thought and the realization made him whisper, "Oh, shi—"
"Robotnik! That man was not a threat to you, and you just!—" Knuckles exclaimed.
"Maybe not in the way your primitive brain defines threat, partner. But, he had it coming for a long time, believe me." Robotnik chuckled with a wide smile, holding the red Chaos Emerald in his hand to where both Mobians could see.
"Dishonor!" the warrior cried out.
"Oh, please. You want to talk about dishonor, how about him? You steal a precious artifact that is rightfully mine, and for what?" Robotnik asked, motioning towards the blue hedgehog, who was just standing there now, obviously disassociated with the carnage he saw before him. In Maurice's head, he could see many things outside of what was physically there. For one, he saw his father, lying on the ground right where the pile of ash that used to be Snively Robotnik. "Because you thought you could get a quick buck off of them? I've seen you people around these parts before—scrounging around for any sort of capital like the mongrels you are."
Maurice the Hedgehog, in his sixteen years of living on this planet, had of course experienced his fair share of emotions; happiness and joy to frustration and depression to cocky and confident. Besides one other time when he was in that orphanage, seeing his little brother and sister being carried away to their new foster parents without him, Maurice had never experienced pure anger. For him, it was a waste in the end, and with all the baggage that he had forced himself to carry, what good would anger or rage do?
He certainly felt that now was necessary.
"You sure ya' ain't talkin' to a mirror? I ain't the one with blood on my hands here! Who're you to say?" Maurice sneered.
Robotnik leaned over the metal shell of his pod and smiled sinisterly. "My name is Dr. Ivo Robotnik. The greatest scientific genius in the world! That's who!"
"Well, Doc," Maurice sneered as his irises glowed green again, and cyan-colored sparks flickered around him. "…I was gonna just take this and be on my way like ya thought, but now? Yer' bein' a bully, and if there's one thing I hate more than anything, it's a bully."
The doctor scoffed, rolling his eyes from underneath his glasses. Quickly, he stuffed the red Chaos Emerald in his pocket. "I think I'm going to throw up. You know, you're so cute, the way you're so naive to the world, even though you look like you've been through the wringer? But I'm just trying to do my own thing. Why bother, son? You really want to be a pain in my backside?"
The question did stay in the hedgehog's mind; was this what he was looking for in life? He had to do something now that people have perished, all over a gemstone too. Would he still take the gemstone and take it somewhere for some cash to finally live without needing to come home in need of antibiotic ointment and gauze?
Before Maurice could give his answer, a small, quiet cry for help echoed throughout the ruins. He and the echidna looked, and within the crossbeams and metallic shards of robot parts, a young yellow fox had been pinned, desperately trying to crawl out to no avail. "Help me!"
Robotnik took the miracle that was this given split second of freedom to get back in his driver's seat and fled with the Emerald shining bright in his hand, knowing that he could perhaps find yet another Chaos Emerald somewhere. Maurice gasped as he saw the doctor fly away like the cowardly bully that he had labeled him to be. The hedgehog wanted to chase him down, crash that pod and rip his throat out, but as he turned to the echidna, who was milliseconds away from rushing over to the kitsune's side, he grumbled in defeat.
"Next time, Egghead. Next time…" he mumbled under his breath.
—
"Someone, help me!" the kitsune once again cried out into the flaming wreckage of Union Square. Soon enough, through the almost opaque smokescreen, he saw the dark shape of a quilled figure jog his way toward him. "Hello?"
A hand soon reached slowly toward him; it was a set of soft orange fingertips, hugged lovingly by a grey and white colored fingerless glove. He felt comfort and safety now that he saw that another living being had finally heard his cries for help, and in return, through muffled hearing and an ear-piercing shrieking, heard the comforting words that were, "Don't worry, buddy! Hang tight, we're gonna get you out!"
His spine felt a euphoric state of relief as dozens of pounds of rubble were slowly but surely pulled away from it with the help of the other Mobian. Before too long, he found the ability to walk again, the nerves in his legs buzzing back to life. He turned to his savior, and for some reason, his eyes widened. A blue hedgehog, arm wrapped around his shoulder for support, with a comforting set of green eyes. Is this
"Hey, kid, you scared us for a sec." the stranger said in a softer voice compared to what he had heard escape his lips before, possibly as a way for him to keep the fox as calm as possible.
"Y-yeah! Thanks for the help… uh…" the fox meekly whispered to the hedgehog, as he placed a hand on his side to suppress the pain that shot in his ribs. The kid figured that he must've broken something. He should've known not to stick around once that pod appeared in the sky, let alone when it shot its missiles into the crowds.
Maurice shot him a smile, "Call me whatever ya want, little guy."
The fox smiled back, although his ears cocked to the side in a small fit of confusion. "You don't go by Sonic?"
The hedgehog's demeanor suddenly shifted. A name that he hadn't heard in years, now suddenly thrown into his face. Maurice wanted to slowly let the kid down and run off before the echidna warrior not too far off to change his mind and start beating him into the pavement, as well as to escape the mention of that word.
"Uh… I'm so sorry, what was yer' name, kid? My manners, they seemed to slip past me."
"Oh, I'm Miles, but everyone calls me Tails." the fox responded, pointing behind him. Maurice looked and his eyes widened; behind the child and right where his tail should be, there were two instead of just one! The hedgehog couldn't help but let his jaw hang open just a little.
"I'm guessin' cause of that? That's a cool nickname, and a cool thing ya' got goin' there!"
Tails' eyes lit up like a pine tree during the holiday season. "Thanks! I got bullied for this for so long, but a good friend of mine when we first met gave me it. It really helped me, I think, especially since I don't think I have a mom or dad no more. You two would have been good friends."
Maurice felt himself reflect on his own life, sympathizing with the cub. From his experience, feeling like you have no one to rely on is such an experience he wouldn't want to wish on anybody, especially one this young. Inside, he wanted to give Tails a bear hug and tell him that everything would be fine but refuted himself for fear of worsening his condition. For now, he let out a silent, single laugh before seeing a few paramedic jackals rush over. "Hey, buddy, they take you to Central City Hospital, I'll try to see ya' again, alright?"
"Really? You'd do that?"
"Of course!" Maurice said. "Hey, guys! This guy here needs some help, please!" he yelled to the jackals, who were then arriving with a stretcher prepared. As Tails and Maurice exchanged their farewells for now, the hedgehog walked over to the echidna, still thinking of the fox.
—
He thought back to what he had done his whole life; fighting, surviving, doing anything he could to make sure he had enough to eat for the week. When he was asked that question by that crazed lunatic, whether or not he was just going to just attack any bully, if said bully was just in his way, Maurice then thought about Tails, how an innocent kid like him got caught in the crossfire, getting stuck in that rubble for as long as he was because he decided to toy with Robotnik with that emerald. The fox was lucky that he caught him in the time that he did, or else, he might've not been able to walk or breathe right after this mess.
"You couldn't have held onto them for just two more minutes, you pointy-haired blockhead?"
"I'm doin' fine, thanks for asking. You sure you don't need one o' those too?" Maurice asked.
"I've trained for years to let my body take all the pain it could. My tribe hopefully sees me and smiles, now that I went against that man. And…"
"And?" the hedgehog asked curiously.
"I'm sorry… that I beat you as much as I did." the echidna replied.
"…That's about the best I'm gonna get, ain't it?" Maurice said with a smirk.
"Don't push it." Knuckles grumbled.
A sudden flurry of red and almond-brown fur surrounded the hedgehog with a gentle and warm embrace.
"Maurice! Oh, thank Gaia, I was wondering what happened!" Sally then noticed the bits of crimson out of the corner of her eye, and worry immediately filled her heart as her fingers carefully traced each injury the hedgehog had taken in the fight. "Oh, Maurice… what did you do to him?!"
Sally's temper boiled as the princess's attention turned to the echidna, who put his hands up in defense, blushing; Maurice chuckled softly. The echidna must have had a soft spot when it came to someone else yelling at him. Mentally, he took that note.
"Hey, hey, relax! I'm okay, Sal. Just a lil' banged up, but I'll be okay. We got ourselves a problem, though." Maurice said, returning the hug with just as much gentleness as the chipmunk gave him. The chipmunk let go suddenly, giving the hedgehog a slightly disappointed side-eye.
"You lost them, didn't you?" she asked.
Maurice smirked as he slowly revealed the other Emerald, the blue one that he had before. "He didn't get mine, at least."
Sally sighed as she eyed the jewel. "So, what do we do now?"
"Well, we're going to need all the help we can get." the hedgehog muttered, looking out to the rest of the Central City skyline. Off in the distance, a particular building caught his eye; Central City Hospital.
—
Author Notes: Hey! TennesseeanArtist/TeensageHedgie here!
Possibly the longest chapter yet, but we had a lot of ground to cover. We're starting to learn a bit more, not only about this world, but also more about our favorite Blue Blur; the more that's revealed, though, the more questions are raised! I know, I'm awful, but this is going to build up to something really satisfying, I think!
Hope you all enjoyed this chapter, and as always, (constructive) criticism is always appreciated! See y'all next chapter!
Yours truly, TA/TH!