Taking up the Mantle Chapter 13: Sinister Secrets, a sonic the hedgehog fanfic

Author's Note. Redid this trash. One of the central problems was I worded some things poorly, so I fixed that.

This was also about the time I became self-conscious about writing as a whole. This was the start of me outright deleting things I had written because I hated myself and or was extremely embarrassed by what I had written. (you'll hear about those in the upcoming chapter re-do's for sure.)

Legal Trash. Sonic and everybody else is copyright SEGA/Archie comics. Except for Max, Annie, and Sonia. I created them in my rattled brain; if you like my OC's, use them and let me know. It'll be fun; we will have tea.

Chapter 13. Sinister Secrets

The harshness of pain and the humiliation of defeat never left Lupe, even in the many hours since she had been captured.

Her knees were ripped up from continually tumbling to the ground, as she could not support her own weight on her destroyed leg. Exhaustion and hopelessness had set in long ago, and every time she fell, the robots would harshly drag her to her feet to continue.

She hobbled her way towards Robotropolis at a snail's pace and couldn't muster the courage to face her lifeless keepers.

She couldn't run or fight back, nor could she even find the spirit to try. Her once proud and strong demeanor was replaced with an ever-growing sense of inevitable dread.

She now knew Robotnik's power, and being humbled by it almost made her feel that her years of fighting were wasted effort.

"Ah!" She fell again onto her raw knees as the blood trickled down her fur.

It hurt so much that she longed for a pointed knife to jab into her throat. Death was better than such misery, and Lupe felt for sure her torture was just beginning.

She tried to push herself up from her fall, but her tired body refused to cooperate, and with only one hand and two fingers, it was difficult to accomplish anything like she used to.

One of the robots walked over to her like so many times before, and it grabbed her forcefully, lifting her painfully to her sore paws.

She let out a yell of anguish, but it elicited no response from the machines. Her eyes glanced around her at the darkening sky, and she was sure it had to have been the second one she'd seen since her capture.

The surrounding fields and forests were traded for the stinky, grimy landfill of a once beautiful and prosperous city, and she knew the end of the line was near.

Her years of struggle gone in such a pathetic and disrespectful way. Her paws moved shakily from the pain, but the closer she drew towards the center of the dark and miserable city, the more she realized her shaking was from terror more than discomfort.

The robots led her to a dark and horrifying metal facility, and it was here that Lupe knew she was going to meet her fate.

She gasped in, feeling a sickness deep within her gut, and the anxiety became overwhelming for her. With a few button presses, the robot opened the door and pushed her forward into a dim corridor.

They led her down the long, ominous pathway as their steps echoed through the silence.

Lupe was so full of fear that the adrenalin it produced was numbing some of her physical distress, allowing her to move more briskly.

After about five minutes of walking, they led her into a room with a metal table that had a giant bright light fixated overhead.

The robots grabbed her and started forcing her over to it, and as she got closer, she identified blotches of old markings on its surface and all over the floor.

The distinct brownness of the aged stains led Lupe to believe that they were possibly old blood or rust, but she couldn't tell which at this point.

She faintly struggled out of the need for self-preservation, but the robots ignored her and just tossed her onto the metal table forcefully.

Within minutes they had strapped her legs and chest down but didn't bother strapping her severely damaged and mutilated hands, knowing they posed almost no threat.

After about a minute, all but one of the robots disappeared into the dark hallway, and she knew the last one was there to merely keep an eye on her.

She gazed around the dreary room, and her imagination ran wild with the possibilities that awaited her.

Lupe tried not to think about it or let it affect her, but her breathing was labored with grim anticipation. She looked upwards towards the light overhead, and it was almost like she was strapped to a surgeon's table due for an operation.

The minutes that passed felt like hours, and as she stewed in her terrified, miserable state, she could hear the faint sound of tapping footsteps as they drew closer to her location.

Tap…

The pace was slow and loud. Lupe's heart tensed up with each heavy stomp echoing towards her.

"This can't be it…."

Her mind raced as her breathing escalated once more, and the palm of her only hand became drenched in a cold sweat.

"Stop being a coward!"

She berated herself in an attempt to find some control of her wildly swinging emotions.

Tap…

The tapping came louder, and then it stopped altogether. Lupe took in a deep, quivering breath and just continued to stare up at the light above her.

…

"Well, well, my dear mongrel. I see you have made yourself comfortable, and here I wasn't sure if you were going to make it at all." She could hear Robotnik's sinisterly cheerful voice echo out into the room.

Lupe didn't say anything. She couldn't. She just stared upwards as if trying to ignore him at this point.

"Ohh ho ho, hahhh hahhhh!" Robotnik's voice cracked with thunderous laughter. "I see you now understand just who is in control now."

Robotnik came over and looked down at her, obstructing her view of the light. It caused Robotnik's face to be marred in shadow, and she could see his bright red, demon-like eyes as they stared down upon her.

"I guess I should welcome you to my little interrogation room. It is rather antiquated and hasn't seen use in years, but after you displayed complete disrespect for your betters. I figured I would 'teach you the error of your ways before I moved onto my actual business with you." He moved to the side and pressed a button that sat along the grimy steel wall.

After a second, the wall began to open up and reveal a plethora of tools, many of which consisted of either sharp saws or probing and cutting utensils.

Lupe immediately understood their purpose and just looked away. Her nightmares were coming forth to be a reality, and her dread was justified now more than ever.

Robotnik turned and could see her fear and exhaustion, and it made him feel good inside. He moved over towards her and stood at her side with a giant smile.

"You know… I might be willing to "reconsider' your need to learn respect if you can demonstrate you have learned it." His voice was low, but it was evident just how much he was enjoying dangling mercy just out of her reach.

Lupe looked over at the tools and then back at Robotnik, and she felt desperation she had not known before. The amount of agony she thought she was in for was causing any bravery she had to leave her, and she closed her eyes and tried to speak without breaking her voice.

"Have mercy…" She fought the tears back in her eyes, but they still managed to squeeze out and run down her cheeks.

"Mercy? My dear mutt, that is not respect towards me. I don't care for your begging because how much you suffer doesn't matter. I get what I want either way." He sounded jovial in between slight gasps of air.

Lupe shook her head as the tears leaked more out of her eyes. "Please, lord Robotnik, don't do this. I just… be merciful, I beg you." She sounded more pathetic than she'd ever been, and now it was less about fighting and more about ending her life painlessly.

Robotnik let out a loud laugh and placed his hands on both sides of the table to stare down at her even closer.

"So, it wasn't right of you to disrespect me like that, was it?" He inquired.

"No... I…I am sorry." Lupe said, and even though she really wasn't. She saw no other choice to escape brutal torture.

She hated herself for every word she said, but perhaps that was some of the "torture" he was trying to inflict.

Robotnik stared at her for a little while as if contemplating his decision, and Lupe looked up to face him for the final time. She had a sincere desire to ask him something, and since she was now starting to realize she was likely going to suffer regardless, she opened her mouth to speak.

"Why..." Her voice came out meekly.

Robotnik pushed back up to fully stand and was surprised she would even dare to speak out of turn, but he found himself unsure of precisely what she was asking.

"Why… What?" His voice sounded as if it were annoyed and losing patience, but he seemed interested enough to respond.

"Why… do this… to us...?" She struggled to say. She really wanted to know what all her suffering was for.

Robotnik's expression changed from eager and excited to seething and enraged. "Well, isn't it obvious!? I hate you… No, I don't just hate you. I loathe you. Loathe the thought that you share the same space as me!" His voice was becoming loud.

He gripped onto the table and hovered his face in front of Lupe's, and she could smell his rancid breath kicking up into her face.

"When I took over, you could have just laid down and treated me like the god I am, but instead, you continue to fight me. You sent that blasted Hedgehog to make a mockery of me, and even after you have lost everything, you still attempt to defy me!" He smashed his metal fist directly next to Lupe's head with a slam, causing the table to dent and Lupe to wince.

His other hand reached up to her throat as he started to choke her violently. "Knothole… It is an insult to my greatness, and I will not rest until it is eradicated from this world… Even if I have to blow up half of Mobius to do it!"

He threw her head back, and Lupe started coughing and gasping for precious air.

"I am going to find Knothole with your 'help,' and then I am going to drag your friends out into the open to teach them the same 'respect.' Once my cannon is re-operational, I will use it to eradicate your precious forest once and for all," Robotnik shouted.

He stood up and moved away from Lupe as she slowly got her breath back. Robotnik clearly didn't care about ruling the animals anymore. He wanted to punish them for their behavior towards him.

What he planned to do after annihilating all hope and irreversibly destroying the planet was anybody's guess.

Robotnik stopped and tried to collect himself with an exasperated breath. He realized that it was better to follow through with his original plans than fool around with Lupe and risk something going wrong.

After calming down from his angry tirade, Robotnik turned to the robot still standing in the room and began to dictate the orders he desired.

Lupe's question had made him refocus on his central goal, and his interest in her suffering was lost. "Keep your eyes on her so that she doesn't escape. Once I give the word, bring her to the roboticizer. I will have ORACLE filter the trash out of her once she is mechanized."

The robot just stood and gave a respectful salute to show it comprehended the orders. Robotnik left the room without bothering to address Lupe again.

She could hear as his boots tapped further and further away from her, and when she could no longer hear them, she realized that she had been granted mercy from Robotnik's sadistic plans.

When she was at last left in silence, she raised her hand and started to rub her sore neck, moving her pointer finger slightly as she did so.

She had evaded a world of hurt, but it didn't mean her ordeal was over. She had confirmation she was to be roboticized but couldn't understand what "filter the garbage out" meant.

Her eyes glanced at the robot who just stood there watching her. It didn't seem too concerned, as it would react if she tried to free her feet or maneuver off the table.

Lupe slid her hand down and rested it on her chest. She was so full of regret and sadness that everything was about to end.

She had her brief peace, but soon she would be nothing more than a robot at Robotnik's beck and call. Her injured hand slid along her chest as if trying to rub the ache from her heart, and all she could feel was the slender chain around her neck.

Time ticked by slowly, and she reminisced back to the times before all of this had happened. When she was happy when Sonic was around when Tails was small and as cute as a button.

It was all flashing before her in her mind, and she attempted to find solace in the last of her pleasant memories.

"What a pathetic fool I've been." Lupe's current thoughts interrupted her pleasant reminiscing.

She had messed up time after time, lost everything, and kept wishing she'd fled with Tails when he offered the chance.

She now realized she wasn't as strong or brave as she led herself to believe, and leaving would have certainly done a lot more for everybody involved.

Her two fingers began to play with the base of the necklace as she felt herself starting to cry.

"It was over, it was over, it was over! I don't want to die, please!"

Lupe's sorrow carried out through the room in the form of heavy, held-back sobs. She had nothing left she could do, and in her complete desperation, was willing to appeal to any sort of higher power to free herself.

"It's my good luck charm. It has always kept me safe,"

Tails' words entered her mind while she struggled against despair.

Lupe sniffled while heaving and continued playing with the ball on her necklace.

"If you ever find yourself at the end of your rope, clench it tightly in your paw and hope for safety."

Lupe wrapped her two fingers around the ball, and she shut her eyes in desperate hope.

"Please save me... Somebody... Anybody."

She squeezed with all her might and wished against all the odds that she could have her freedom.

Crack….

Lupe could feel the cheap trinket crack in her two fingers, and she immediately regretted squeezing so hard. Her last bit of comfort had broken easily in her grasp.

She released her fingers, and the silver bits clamored to the floor.

The robot just watched her as she crushed the necklace.

Beep…

A faint noise echoed out through the silent room, and the robot stepped forward, looking around for the source of the sound.

Lupe, too was surprised and examined the palm of her hand to see a red light fixated on a tiny black metal chip.

"?"

The robot quickly caught on that what Lupe had done had caused the sound, and it started coming over to put an end to those antics.

Even if it had to take her entire arm off this time, it would not allow any sort of trickery. It pulled out the hilt of its energy blade and made its way towards Lupe cautiously, just in case it was some kind of weapon that emitted the sound.

Lupe stared at the red light and then at the Robot as it approached cautiously. She was too weak to do anything and incapable of defending herself against its assault.

When the robot realized she had no intention of fighting back against it, it reached out its hand to attempt to grab the necklace.

Beep…

The sound went off again, but this time the light turned green and started to flash, slow at first, and then it picked up more rapidly.

The robot stayed its hand hesitantly and then just started to lift its blade. She couldn't be trusted, and so it would do what it had to do to stop whatever was going on.

Lupe started to enter a trance-like state as her eyes began to glaze over. Her vision went completely white, and she could not see or hear the robot about to sever her arm.

Her body started to illuminate on the table, causing the robot to stay its hand longer. It had no frame of reference for what was occurring, so it watched as if studying it.

Beep…

With one last loud beep, her body started to become ethereal and began disappearing from sight.

Cloaking was what the robot determined upon seeing the shift from seen to invisible, and it decided it was safe to stop her before she became fully cloaked.

It swung the energy blade down where her arm had last been seen as it attempted to sever the link between her and the cloaking device.

…..

Nothing… No blood, no screams, no decloak. The sword just sliced quickly through the metal table and as the last of Lupe's face disappeared. The robot attempted to grasp at her throat to keep track of her.

Its hand slammed against the table, and it wildly started moving it around in an attempt to find her. No matter where it touched, it hit nothing, and the robot eventually concluded that she was not in the vicinity at all.

The swordbot bent down and examined the pieces of silver that had come off the necklace. It offered no clues, except for the fact that Lupe had indeed once been there.

The robot once again stood up and hastily started to make its way out of the room.

Lupe needed to be located. Invisible or no, the machine had lost track of her completely, and she needed to be found before Robotnik discovered she was no longer there.

…

Swirling, dizzy, confusing.

Lupe's mind struggled to catch up with what was occurring. She was blinded by the brightest possible light, and she felt as though she were lighter than air.

After a few seconds of what could only be described as floatation, Lupe quickly fell hard with a painful thud.

"Ah!" She cried out as her body started to roll down an incline and into some brush.

Her mind was only now beginning to comprehend once again, and her eyes darted around the area the second her vision started to come back.

She could barely see anything due to the darkness that surrounded her, but the bright distant shimmering that rained down from on high clued her into where she was.

The moon's blissful, protecting glow brought joy to her heart, and she now understood that she was outside. Somewhere…. Anywhere...

What sorcery brought her here? She was unsure, but she was beyond elated to be here.

She could feel agonizing pain through her body, and her head pounded like she had been smacked repeatedly with a hammer, but this only clued her in to the fact that she was still alive.

She smiled from her position on the ground and reached her hand up with the two fingers on it, as if to try and grasp at the moon to hold onto it, to never let go of it.

Her mind was fractured and dazed, and she let out a spontaneous laugh at the sheer absurdity of the moment.

"Hah... hah! Hahaha..." Her laughter fluctuated in tone, and the world started to spin.

Her eyes began to shut, and for the first time in months, she was able to feel some sense of relief.

Her arms hit the dirt with a thud, and it was only a matter of seconds until she lay there unconscious. Her escape from death miraculous if not unfathomable.

…

The hour was late, and all of Knothole was still awake with their concerns and business for tomorrow.

Tails' hut was lit, as he drew ever closer to completing Cream's map, Annie's was lit because she found herself in busy preparation since Max had returned to his own hut, and Nicole was active night and day with construction.

…

"Dear, I am to be thinking you should be trying to sleep, no?" Antoine's voice called out from the bed where he was sitting. He said, watching Bunnie as she sat there lonely at the table.

"Ah… I am just fine, ya' hear, Y'all don' need to be worryin' about me so much." Bunnie said and turned her attention away from him to stare out the window.

She was watching Nicole build the new hut a way across from hers.

Antonine rose up and started to walk over to her, and without warning, wrapped his warm arms around her. "Ma Chère, you are to be being lyings to me. I wish you would talk to me, yes?"

Bunnie eyed him, and despite her reluctance to talk, she was running out of options. She had been feeling awful for weeks now, and even somebody of her fortitude couldn't last forever.

With a heavy sigh, she leaned in on her heavy metal hand and continued to stare out the window.

"Ah... I just don't know… Ant. I feel like I'm losin' control. What with Max dictatin' orders behind mah back and the incident with Tails. I…" She paused and looked back up at Antoine, who gave her a supportive smile.

He placed his usable hand on her shoulder and began to rub. "Do please continue. I am here to listen to you!" He sounded enthusiastic and happy to relieve her of her burdens.

Bunnie looked down and felt herself losing even more control, she was hurting inside, and she knew the real cause above all else.

"When… I went with Tails. I really wasn't sure what to be thinkin', but when we got to those tunnels, and I saw that poor girl... I dunno…" She trailed off from her thoughts.

Antoine nodded his head as he was now getting a better picture of what was eating away at her.

"There was not to be being a point for you to stay." He said calmly.

"How in the hell would ya know that, Ant!?" She snapped, feeling both angry at him for saying that and herself for fleeing. "We shoulda' stayed and done more, we shoulda' looked for Lupe, but I was bein' a yellow-bellied coward!"

Her frustrations caused her to admit her fear, something atypical of Bunnie in most cases. It was apparent at this point that she knew she was losing control, not just of the kids but of her emotions.

Max had started it with his near-death escapades, and everything continued to pile up until she was in the state she was now.

Antoine took his hand off her and sat beside her on the edge of the bed. "So, if you were to be staying? Then what? You had no idea what the enemy was, and you were to be having no idea where Lupe was? What good is to be having action when you are to be lacking a sensible plan?"

Bunnie looked at him and let out a deep breath. "I know you're right, Ant., but..."

"Non, do not saying another word! You did what you had to be doing, and sometimes that is the hardest decisions to make." He said confidently.

"But the kids…." Bunnie began.

"Are to be growing up, like they have to be doing." Antoine finished for her.

The two stared at each other in silence for a short while, and then Bunnie spoke.

"How'd ya get to be this confident and brave, Ant?" She almost smiled.

Antoine took her hand and cupped it in his. "To be brave, one needs somebody to be worth protecting, yes?"

Bunnie let out a small laugh and finally smirked. "Now yer just butterin' my bread… But thanks…" She conceded.

Antoine smiled at her and held tightly onto her hand.

"I guess I just need to be trustin' Max, Tails, Sonia, and Annie more. I need to admit I'm a momma animal, an even if I don' like what's happenin', I need ta' let them make their own mistakes." Bunnie said.

She had wanted to protect them all so badly that she had lost sight of the reality of their situation.

Antoine nodded in agreement and let go of his beloveds' hand.

"Do y'all think ol' Sugar-hog is really out there somewhere? I am knowin' in my heart I want it to be true, but I just don' trust that little weasel."

Bunnie pondered out loud, knowing fully that she absolutely hated the idea that Snively was possibly helping them.

"I am not to be knowing, but I believe Max is to be being like his father in making this decision." Antoine stood up, and she watched him limp over to his side of the bed.

Bunnie gave him a peculiar look, and Antoine just smiled back at her.

"To Max, an ally for the time is to be the ally for the time. What has happened before doesn't matter. I am to be assuming he has thought this through to the end and is to be being prepared."

Antoine lowered himself gently onto the bed and pulled the covers up to his chest.

Bunnie stared at him. Antoine had such trust in the royal family, and perhaps she should as well. After all, Max took after Sally in intellect, so it was a safe bet he knew what he was doing, even in his lack of experience.

The more Bunnie thought, the more she realized that Sonic would never dwell on Snively like the rest of them did.

If Snively were willing to help Knothole in some way, Sonic would let him, and that was that. Knowing Sonic was possibly out there somewhere, she understood that they needed to do whatever was necessary to bring him home.

BANG…

A loud slam came from the wooden door of the hut, and Bunnie rose to move towards it while Antoine watched tiredly from his place on the bed.

Bunnie was surprised by the knocks at such a late hour, and she wondered if Max had some kind of relapse or something.

She quickly walked over and pulled on the door handle to open it.

Before her stood Tails, and he was looking quite hesitant in being there. Indeed, the widespread gossip of Sonic's apparent survival had reached him and was causing a lot of feelings to stir up within him.

Bunnie was surprised, and Tails backed up slightly to allow her room to exit the doorway.

"I need to talk to you." He said in a meek tone.

Bunnie looked back at Antoine, who merely gave her a grin and turned his gaze to look up towards the ceiling.

Bunnie turned back to Tails and stepped out into the front area of the hut, shutting the wooden door behind herself.

"I… well… Uhm." She began sheepishly. She felt like a terrible person for smacking him and doing what she did.

"I'm sorry…." Tails was quick to come out with his reason for being there. "For th-things that I said… I just..." He rubbed his arm.

Bunnie blinked and stared at him, and then she gazed over to see Cream standing in the distance in front of Tails' open hut door, watching them.

Tails was unable to speak further and instead just hid his face by looking at the ground. It was really apparent to Bunnie that Cream had given him the confidence to talk to her and that he was not good about speaking his feelings like this.

Bunnie, rather than speak, just quietly opened her arms, and out of nowhere, surprised him with a big hug. Her clunky metal limb was a bit rough, but her soft, delicate, furred hand felt warm and comforting.

"I love ya Tails… Don't ya ever forget that, no matter how stupid I'm actin'. I know I been foolish lately, but I wancha' to know I am gonna try and listen to y'all more." She felt like she would cry hugging him like this, as the last time she did so was when he was a small child.

Tails wrapped his arms around her and hugged her back. The two stood there quietly in each other's comfort for over a minute. His hands eventually slid off from her, and he gave her a bright smile, something rare for Tails these days.

"I love you too, aunt-Bunnie." He said.

Bunnie cracked, and she sniffled, hearing her cherished namesake uttered by him once again. Her tears began to fall and were an amalgamation of the joy and sadness she was overwhelmed with at the moment.

They were willing to admit that they had done wrong, and both could share the guilt of abandoning Lupe together.

Tails turned around after the moment had passed and started to make his way back towards his hut. He had a lot of work to do for tomorrow, but sure as anything, he felt a sense of overwhelming relief as he reconnected with Bunnie.

"Goodnight." He said as he left, and Bunnie gave him one in kind as she watched him go.

"Goodnight."

Bunnie stared at Tails as he wandered off into the distance. Cream really had done that boy a lot of good. Ever since she'd come around, Bunnie had noticed glimpses of the bright spark of hope that used to define Tails as a child.

Bunnie turned and entered her hut to see that Antoine had passed out on his side of the bed.

She shut the door behind herself with a smile and moved over to turn out the light. Whatever came, came, and they all had to be strong together.

It was easy to forget that when so many bad things happen all at once, but Bunnie swore that from this day forward, she would try to foster confidence and trust in her fellow Freedom Fighters, even if they happened to be her children.

With a click of the lamp, darkness fell over the room, and Bunnie plopped herself into her side of the bed.

She turned over so that she was lying on her metal arm and reached out to wrap her furred one around Antoine's warm body. She kept smiling to herself and pulled him as close as she could without hurting him.

"I lov' ya.'" She whispered to him before she eventually found herself in a deep, peaceful sleep.

The first one in some time.

…

Night came and went in no time, and by mid-morning, Max had awakened to find himself in his own bed.

He groggily removed himself from his covers and looked over at the lamp still lit from the previous night. He pulled aside the sheets and put his bare feet onto the cool floor.

Max had felt as if he was in a daze, after so long, being back in his own hut was strange and somewhat alien to him.

He had come back days prior but had done nothing but lay about in his room. He reached out his metal hand to click the light off and then started to stand up.

He was only wearing pajama bottoms without the top, as the cooler climate had helped ease some of his left-over soreness in his chest.

He peered around the room, and it struck him just how long it had been since he'd even worn his clothes.

Max let out a sigh and stood up. He had told Annie that he intended to dress and come out today, and he was sure she had blabbed to everybody about it by now.

It caused him to worry, as he genuinely did fear the seething criticism he would receive from everybody for his actions with Snively.

In the end, though, it was inevitable, and he decided that he would have to face the music at some point.

He casually walked over to his closet and pulled out a full copy of his royal coat and uniform. He turned and looked into the full-body mirror on the inside of the closet door, and he immediately dropped the uniform he was holding onto the ground.

He stared in shock and disbelief as he took the first honest hard look at himself since the incident.

His arm was solid metal, and his torso was adorned with deep and lasting scars, so deep in fact, that his fur would never grow back in those areas.

He stared in horror and disgust at himself, and though he never much cared for his looks before, they were undoubtedly in the forefront now.

A handsome animal? He never really considered himself one, but for what he saw now, he'd wager he was downright hideous. He felt sorrow knowing that the him now was the him forever, and it served as an endless reminder of what he had gone through.

Max began to pick up his uniform, and after shuffling around with it for several minutes, he managed to fully dress. Back were the beautiful reds, blues, and golds, and it offered him a bit of comfort that his ugliness was hidden behind all those layers of gorgeous clothing.

He took another look in the mirror, eyeing for imperfection, and though he looked much like he had before in the same uniform. His metal hand stuck out like a sore thumb.

It made him feel insecure and hateful of himself. It bothered him internally, as something unnatural and different.

He tried to loosen the sleeves to cover it more, but nothing could conceal the appendage no matter what he did.

Max's eyes glanced over, and he hastily made his way to the dresser, where he stored many of his other clothing items.

He pulled out the drawer and started to rip the clothes out of it, frantically throwing them to the floor. Once he reached the small box sitting at the bottom, he quickly opened it and then tossed the empty container into the pile with everything else he had discarded.

Two brown leather gloves sat within his grasp. They were the winter gloves that he used when the days were particularly harsh and cold.

He placed the right glove onto the top of the dresser for later use and then quietly started to struggle with putting the left glover over his metal hand. At first, he thought that it wouldn't fit, but as it turned out, his hand was no bigger or smaller than it had been before roboticization.

Once Max had the glove tightly over his metal hand, he pulled the sleeve down and looked at it.

It was artificial and a deeper hue than his fur, but it hid it. It hid his shame perfectly. He walked over to the mirror, and at a glance, he could barely tell that one had a glove on it. It was only when he focused on it that it was readily apparent.

This brought a sense of relief to him, as it brought him to a state of perceived normalcy. He shut the closet door and let out a deep breath.

He felt so unhappy, so ashamed, so scared to face everybody else. He wasn't even sure what had come over him when he permitted Snively to come up top. He had just done it as if it were his natural reaction.

Max's mind was a mess, and the more he dwelled on it, the harder it became to approach his own door.

He wanted to believe wholeheartedly what was said about his father but feared the truth of his mother. He had so much to grieve all at once that everything seemed insurmountable.

Max knew that if he didn't leave, Ann would come looking for him if he didn't show up like he said he would.

He shook his head with a frown, knowing that he couldn't escape misery no matter what he did. He walked towards his front door as his new pair of boots stomped against the wooden floor, then he opened the door to the front of his hut and turned around to quickly shut it.

The crisp autumn breeze was the first thing he felt as it blew through his fur, and with a forceful slam, the door locked into place.

He turned and was immediately surprised to see Sonia standing in front of him. She had her hands behind her back, and her foot was kicking the dirt.

…

She said nothing to him, and he quietly walked up to her. Even if he didn't look it, he was joyful to see her, as it had been some time since she'd come before him.

"Sonia?" Max's voice was low as he said her name.

Sonia gazed at her brother, who was standing over her like he always did. He looked almost exactly the same, much to her relief, and even though she spotted the glove on his left hand immediately, she chose not to draw any attention to it.

Sonia pulled one of her hands from behind her back, and inside her clenched fist was the stem of a flower. She had apparently been rough with it and most likely strangled it due to her nervousness confronting Max.

"Is that for me?" Max tried to smile, and though it came out weakly, it was still apparent that he was appreciative nonetheless.

"Well, who'd ya think it's for? Annie? Sheesh, bro..." She muttered somewhat delicately as if trying to maintain her usual persona but not be so rough that she'd upset him.

Max took the flower from her and placed it gently into his coat pocket, where Nicole used to be nested. "I'll need to get it some water in a bit." He admitted though he suspected it would die due to strangulation long before that.

Sonia seemed unhappy and just nodded at his declaration.

Max noticed and reached out his furred hand to mess up her quills like he had so many times before. "Hey, no poutiness, you hear?" He said as he tried to bring back her annoyance.

Rather than protest and get angry, though, she leaped forward and wrapped her arms around him, and buried her face into his torso. "Bro…. I'm sorry… for … for everything…." Her voice became meek and quivering as her long-held tears started to stain his coat.

"I love you..." She said with a sob while her hands clenched the fabric of his coat.

Max hesitantly wrapped his arms around her carefully, still fearful he would hurt her with his metal arm.

Sonia didn't realize or care about the replacement and instead let herself cry in her older brother's arms.

"I…. I went off on my own…. I didn't stay by your side…. I-I am just a terrible sister!" She wailed out painfully as she absolved herself of her perceived sins against him.

"No, Sonia," Max said as he released her from his grasp and bent down to his knees to face her directly. "It's alright, I am fine. You don't have to worry about me." He reassured her that he was fine and she had caused him no harm.

"But…" She tried to protest with a sniffle.

"Listen, Sonia, what happened is not your fault, and you not coming to see me doesn't matter to me at all. All that matters to me is that you and everyone else are ok." He once again reinforced his stance on the matter.

Sonia continued to sniffle and hiccup as Max placed his furred hand on her shoulder.

"Seeing me like that was probably really scary and hard for you," He said to her in a gentle voice.

Sonia nodded at his assessment.

"So, you shouldn't beat yourself up like this or feel bad." He said.

Sonia used her hand to wipe some of her tears away as Max continued speaking to her sweetly.

"Besides, I heard from Ann that you were really overworking yourself to help out around here. If it weren't for you, then nobody would have been able to devote as much time as they did to me."

Max gave her a genuine smile of appreciation as she continued to stare at his face.

After a minute, she looked down and gave a sheepish smile. "I guess…. I did do a lot to help you… huh?"

He nodded and took his hand off her shoulder, continuing on with his smile. He then stood up and used his furred hand to really mess up her quills even worse than before.

"You're good at relieving stress too." He joked for her sake, treating her as if she were a stress ball you'd squeeze.

"HOW DARE YOU!" She shouted in a faux annoyed manner as she wiped her nose and tears on her arm.

Max looked down at her and put his furred fist towards her in his best attempt to show her he was completely fine.

"Everything cool?"

Sonia looked at him hesitantly at first, but then her apprehension turned into a devious smile as she punched his fist.

"Way past."

Max then turned and started to walk to the dining hut, where everyone would be having breakfast.

"I guess Annie ratted that I wanted to come out today?" He asked.

"Of course!" Sonia said as she quickly caught up to him. She felt much better to have her brother up and about, and he seemed just the same as he always had been.

Max shook his head. He wished that she hadn't but knew it was inevitable. At least Sonia's company made it easier to face the dragon he was expecting in Bunnie's rage.

The two walked the rest of the way, and Sonia was extra chipper at the moment.

Max wondered with hope if he had cleared her conscious of all guilt. He was plagued with quite a bit of it, so to be relieved of all guilt did seem like it would be pretty elating.

Max peered around himself as he approached the doors of the dining hut, and he could see that the trees were already beginning to turn their beautiful red and gold hue for the season.

He always enjoyed the beauty of autumn, but his mind was plagued with so many other thoughts and worries that he found couldn't get excited about it right now.

Sonia sprinted quickly in front of Max to the hut's front door, and she busted inside, shutting the door behind herself before he could even get there.

She was always running ahead and making it a competition with him, wasn't she? It was not like he minded, though, as he'd rather she be herself than be miserable.

Max semi-quickly reached the door and started to open it to catch up with Sonia, but he was immediately surprised to see that almost everyone was standing there in anticipation of his arrival.

Tails, Bunnie, Antoine, Rotor, Nicole, and Sonia. They were all standing in front of the table, and with a collective breath, they all shouted in unison when they saw him.

"WELCOME BACK!"

Max was speechless, as he had not anticipated this in the least. He had been dreading confronting everyone after all that he had done, but he never expected that they would welcome him back in such a celebratory fashion.

Sonia seemed to be on the up and up now, given everything that had just occurred.

Max surmised she was sent to collect him and ended up breaking down upon seeing him. His eyes glanced at the row of animals with giant smiles on their faces.

"Hey, it's this guy!" Rotor shouted joyously as he came over and patted Max gently on the back.

"Rotor!" Max couldn't help but laugh a bit as Bunnie and Antoine came over.

Bunnie gave him the biggest of hugs and had a smile from ear to ear.

"Well, ain't you lookin' better." She sounded enthusiastic, and her demeanor was nothing like he was expecting.

She seemed genuinely happy right now, and in turn, it relieved much of this morning's anxiety.

Antoine gave a respectful bow and then came in closer to Max. Within seconds he was giving him the fatherliest hug he could muster with one arm.

"Oui Max, forgiveness to my improperness, but my heart is overfilled with joy!" He let out a laugh and pulled away with a pat on Max's shoulder.

"Antoine…" Max stopped speaking, feeling slightly embarrassed, but the smile on his own face showed genuinely deep gratitude and respect.

"Hey there, big guy!" Max heard Tails' voice from the side, and he could feel his arm wrap around him.

"You scared the hell out of us, ya know that, right!?" Tails showed his teeth with his smile, and Max just laughed in return.

"Well, you had me worried Tails, I thought you might never come back," Max admitted.

"Me? Nah. I could take out a whole robot army if I wanted." He exaggerated, and it elicited group laughter from the small crowd of animals.

Nicole came up to Max, keeping her neutral expression, and then she began to speak. "It does me good to see that you are returning to a normal state of function, Max."

The group collectively nodded, and Max just returned thanks to Nicole.

"I wouldn't be alive without you." He said.

Nicole's metal expression changed to a slight smile, and she started to step back so that attention wasn't so drawn on her. She was not one to be the center of attention, and as quickly as she was there, she had made her way out to continue her duties.

"Well, let's have a seat!" Tails said as he took a chair and plopped in it.

It didn't take them long to have a seat, except for Bunnie, who disappeared into the kitchen.

After a few moments, Annie and Bunnie came out carrying a delectable breakfast feast. All varieties of breakfast items were available, and it all smelled so delicious.

"Breakfast!" Annie chimed up happily. She felt her heart flutter seeing Max up and about.

Bunnie started placing many of the trays down and quickly headed back into the kitchen to get more.

Annie placed her items on the table for people to grab at their leisure but stopped to converse with Max.

"How are ya feelin?" She asked in a calm tone.

Max answered happily. "This is great. I didn't expect any of this, but thank you." He reached out his gloved hand and took some of the food set before him.

Annie noticed the glove, and it was easy for her to put two and two together. She, like Sonia, elected to ignore it.

"You look good, Max." She admitted though she felt slightly bashful for doing so.

Bunnie started slapping more trays down onto the large table, and it brought Annie's mind back to the task at hand.

"Oh, I-I'm sorry, mom!" She felt embarrassed.

"Now don' you go on apologizin'. Just have a seat and dig on in. I got this." Bunnie said with a grin, pulling out the chair next to Max.

Annie excitedly sat down and started grabbing the food she made. She had woken up extra early to get the cooking for this feast underway.

Bunnie smirked and started returning to the kitchen.

Annie's growing affection for Max was blatantly apparent to her, and she found her devotion to him quite adorable.

After a few minutes, Bunnie returned with a tray of several types of juices and drinks for everybody to pick from. After placing it down, she took a seat for herself next to Antoine at the table.

She watched as the whole table laughed and joked, and it felt like old times, and could almost mistake this for the not-too-distant past before all this had occurred.

Still, as she surveyed the table, she also noticed Max's gloved hand, and unlike everybody else there, its personal significance was not lost on her.

To be able to hide the metal appendages that defined her would be a dream, and she found herself somewhat jealous that Max's limb was identical in size to his original.

What it would be like to wear a nice pair of pants or not have an awkwardly big arm get in the way.

She wished she could hide in much the same way Max was hiding, but it also brought a deep sense of sadness to her to realize that he needed to hide in the first place.

It was a self-conscious pain that was all too real to her, even with years of acclimation to it.

The table ate and conversed, and Max felt much better than he had in ages. He knew for sure now that everybody was here for him and to support his growth.

Nobody even mentioned his decision because it really wasn't what was important. What was important was that he was better, and everybody was happy he was still alive.

BANG!

…

A loud sound echoed through the room, and it caused everybody to hush up and stare towards the door.

There, they saw an out-of-breath Cream that had just barged in. She had her hand to her chest, and she shook her head in an embarrassed manner.

"I-wel-well… please forgive me!" She let out a plea as she gave a polite bow.

"I-Tai-Tails was supposed to wake me, but he didn't, and I overslept." She looked up and gave Tails a glare.

Tails smiled as he stretched out his arms and put them behind the back of his head. "You looked so peaceful I didn't want to disturb you. I am sorry."

"That's not the poi-" Cream was about to start but immediately stopped talking as her gaze began to fixate on the center of the room where Max sat.

Everyone at the table could see her stare, and they all collectively turned their eyes to Max as well.

Max felt extremely embarrassed now that everyone had their gaze focused on him, and he sheepishly raised his right hand.

"Uhmm- Hi Cream. I uh. I am feeling better." He said to her, thinking that her shock was over that fact he was up and about.

"Y-you... you're!" Her voice got loud.

Max looked at everybody else around him, and they all seemed to be just as confused as he was.

"I'm?"

"Y-you l-look just like the members of-of the royal fami-family." Cream stated the obvious, but in all honesty, he spent most of his time shaved and bandaged before.

When he'd first come back to Knothole, he was so severely damaged, and his clothes were so filthy that he was unrecognizable.

Now recovered, with his new, pristine garments. It really brought out his resemblance to his family, as while wearing them, he looked ready for a portrait.

There was slight laughter amongst the animals in the room, and Max just shook his head. This never was an issue for him before, but he responded respectfully to the shocked rabbit.

"I uh, that is because I am. My mother is Princess Sally Alicia Acorn, former heir to the throne of Mobotropolis." He explained to her.

"I'm a princess!" Sonia chimed in with her mouth full of food.

She said it filled with pride and humor, and despite the gossip going around about her mother and father, she refused to believe any bad news. For acknowledging the worst would only bring everybody down.

Cream was in shock. The person whose arm she almost severed was that of the prince and future king to their land.

Cream immediately hit the wooden floor to bow, and she shut her eyes in nervousness.

"Please -please forgive my impudence, y-your Highness. I-I had no idea wh-who was in my care. I…." She stammered worse than ever, and it was clear she was terrified by this revelation.

"Hey-hey enough!" Max demanded, hating to see her demean herself like this, especially after everything she had done to keep him alive. He was not used to the respect paid towards royalty and found it out of place here.

Cream immediately stood up, pushed herself past everyone at the table, and made her way to Max. Once she was directly in front of him, she grasped onto his furred hand and cupped it into both of hers.

"Ple-please, your Highness, I-Tails is almost f-finished repairing my map. I- h-humbly request you return with me to Radcliff village w-when it is complete." She sounded almost pathetic, and the request came out of what felt like desperation.

"Whoa there now," Bunnie interjected. "We don' even be knowin' much about this village, and to top it all off, Max just got done bein' really hurt."

"I-I know, but… Well, uhm..." Cream tried to find the words to explain, but it was difficult. She let go of Max's hand and tried to think of what to say.

Tails looked at her and could tell this was as strenuous as it was essential to her.

"I already promised Cream I would escort her through the woods after repairing the map, so I can keep Max safe if he wants to go." Tails lent her his support.

Bunnie was hesitant, but she remembered her conversation with Antoine last night and deferred it to Max. "She's done a lot for us, and if Tails' is goin' anyway, then I see no reason you can't… Especially if it means more strength to fight Robotnik."

Max was surprised by how easily Bunnie was convinced, and upon looking at Cream's desperation, he almost felt like he owed her for all she had done.

"I… does it need to be me? Sonia is just as much royalty as I am." He asked to make sure.

Sonia looked annoyed. "H-hey! Who said I wanted to go? You're the one who was learning all that royal junk, not me." She said.

She didn't want to go because she wanted to continue helping the village and her newfound "friend" Nicole.

Cream watched Sonia's outburst and then returned her attention to Max. "O-oh y-es. It has to be you. I uhm… I want you to pe-personally talk to our leader. Y-you are unmistakably an A-Acorn, and there is little doubt s-she will be overjoyed to m-meet you."

Max looked around the room, and it seemed like almost everyone was agreeable to this at this point. Even if Cream and Radcliff were relatively unknown, the potential for numerous resources such as medicine, technology, and animal power was possibly worth almost any risk.

Max pondered for a minute and then spoke his mind. "I'll go under one condition." Max eventually said as he picked up a piece of food off his plate.

Cream looked at him and seemed hopeful. "What is that?"

"Annie has to come with me." He stated bluntly.

Annie dropped her food on her plate as the room turned their immediate attention to her.

"M-me? Bu-but I am..." She stammered because of the stares.

"Why- why do you want me to go so badly?" Annie demanded an explanation from him.

Max took a bite of his food, and after taking a drink, he answered her. "You took care of me the most, so you understand when something is wrong with me and when I need support. Cream, and you can watch after my health, and Tails can guide us." He stated rationally.

It seemed to make sense, and to be honest, Annie secretly didn't want Max to leave without her.

"I..." She hesitated in her answer and then eventually just blurted out what she wanted. "I will go."

Cream shot up and almost hugged Annie for her agreement to escort Max, and it was now evident that she felt like all of the sufferings she had been through had been worth it.

Bunnie wasn't sure she wanted her daughter to go, but Antoine just put his hand on Bunnie's shoulder to keep her calm. "Come to be joining us, Cream. This is time for celebration for us both."

Cream smiled ecstatically, and she grabbed some of the food to sit down and join them. Once she was situated next to Tails, everyone went back to eating and talking.

Max and Annie were keeping quiet at the table while Sonia ducked out of the room early so that she could go see if Nicole needed anything.

Tails leaned back and took a sip of juice while he watched Cream. "I didn't know that your village would be so willing to let strangers in." He eventually stated as if being slightly accusatory.

Cream turned to him and wiped some juice from her mouth fur with a cloth napkin. "I-I well, normally they w-wouldn't be, but because Max is an Acorn, they wi-will likely override any and all safety protocol."

Tails eyed her and smiled. "So, let me guess, you are afraid they won't let you back in unless you have him?" Tails was blunt and to the point.

"N-not exactly no. I know I would have a hard time convincing them to let me back in when I found them, but y-you have to understand h-how important the royal family is to Radcliff. I-it was founded by knights, and so the royal family is an integral part of our village. Many people there have never even seen a member of the royal family in person."

Tails finished off his juice and nodded. It wasn't just about using Max to her advantage, but making whatever mission she had left a complete success.

If everyone needed to be murdered by those robots, then it should have been for something important.

"I should be finished the map by today, so why don't you stay out here and have fun for a while. I'll let you know when I complete it." Tails said.

Cream gave a sweet smile and a nod. She was delighted and shocked that members of the royal family still existed.

To find Sally's children here was miraculous and perhaps the one thing that would ease her many regrets.

Tails got up and started to leave the table to finish the map cube and attend to some other business that he wanted to do for the day.

The room was thinning out now, Rotor, Sonia, Tails, and Nicole had left, and Max, Bunnie, Antoine, and Annie were all that was left.

"I uhm... Your Highness, I wanted to thank you for agreeing to come with your escorts. I, it means a great deal to me." Cream expressed her gratitude once again.

Max nodded, recognizing it was pointless to try and have her call him Max. Instead, he just accepted her gratitude.

"I owe you for saving my life, not to mention how you describe your village. It would seem Knothole could benefit greatly from your alliance, especially now with the clock ticking on restoring the FIRESTORM canon."

Bunnie nodded. "I am likin' the sound of that, more allies, might mean we can take the canon itself out…. but I won't lie, I am havin' my concerns over you wonderin' about so soon after recovery."

"It is ok, really. Annie and Tails will be there, not to mention Cream, so it is not like I won't be in good hands. I could also use the exercise and time outside after being cooped up for so long." Max told her his feelings on the matter.

It was true Max had been bedridden for incredible amounts of time, and luckily youth had been on his side.

In an older animal, their muscles might have atrophied entirely in that amount of time. His need to move about was understandable, and Cream had done enough to earn as much trust as possible from them.

Bunnie nodded, as did Antoine. If they could recoup some of the hospital-grade supplies they had used and possibly get an extra animal group for assaulting the canon, then it might be worth it.

Antoine turned to his daughter and gave her a stern look. "You are to be being in charge of protecting Max. I hope that you will not to taking this duty lightly."

Annie nodded, though she felt somewhat out of place in this sort of political mission. She was not princess Sonia, nor was she as valuable as Nicole, but nevertheless, she accepted the duty. "I understand, father."

Bunnie and Antoine nodded. Perhaps the relief they would receive from Radcliff would be a boon and reverse a lot of the damage caused by their last mission, especially if they actually planned to follow the rumor and try and rescue Sonic in the coming months.

"Th-the village is well stocked, and that is the entire point of my mission. To connect with a Freedom Fighter group to then establish an alliance and trade with. I well… I just got lucky that I wasn't killed and that the royal prince of Mobotropolis happens to be here." Cream explained.

"Well, when Tails gets done with yer map, we wish y'all luck in visitin'," Bunnie said, as Antoine nodded and started to speak.

"We are to be watching Knothole and our prisoner in your absence while the others will be overseeing the construction of Snively's transporting device."

Everyone agreed to their task, and Max was happy that everyone seemed to be on the same page.

Nobody there really trusted Snively, but even the slightest chance that Sonic could be brought back to Knothole made everyone excited on a profoundly personal level.

Max got up, as did Annie, and they decided to head off from the table. They left Cream behind with Antoine and Bunnie to discuss the benefits of allying with Radcliff, and the two seemed intrigued by the things they heard about her society.

…

When Annie and Max left the hut and the door closed behind them, Annie immediately turned to Max and put her hands on her hips.

"Alright, Max, cut the shit. Why do you want me to come?" She asked directly.

Max looked at her as he was walking past and could see a bit of anger in her expression.

"Why not?" He answered her casually with a shrug.

"I'm serious goddamnit!" Her voice got slightly loud. "Why not have Nicole or Sonia go, my parents?" She asked again, and her feelings of inadequacy were extremely apparent to Max.

Max stopped and turned to face her in the middle of Knothole. "Do you think this super secretive place would trust and allow a robot of any kind into their doors, even with a prince at its side? Do you think Sonia would be patient enough to weigh through possibly hours of bargaining and political talks with another village leader?" His questions were pointed, and Annie was starting to understand better.

"Your parents, they might be good at it, but I can't talk to them like I can talk to you. I trust you, and after our talks, I want you to help me and be more involved." He said to her confidently. Now that he understood all of the things that had been hurting her, he was doing his best to make it right by her.

She stared blankly and then, in a meeker tone, spoke to him. "So, what does this mean?"

Max moved forward and placed his hands on her shoulders as gently as possible, and stared into her eyes.

"It means from this day forward you are now going to be active in important matters I take part in, as you are now and officially my royal confidante." He said, sliding his hands off her.

"But…" Annie was speechless, but Max just turned to walk away from her.

"Let's go gather some wood. In a few months, winter will be upon us, and we have quite a bit of downed trees to pick from." He said, wanting to once again be helpful to the village.

Annie quietly approached him, and she gave him a nod. Her mind was full of conflicting emotions, but after a bit of time, it was starting to sink in just how alleviating it was to be part of his royal inner circle.

With a prestigious title, something that nobody else could lay claim to but her. She was Max's royal confidante, and it made her feel really important, not just to him but to herself.

The two wandered and walked, picking up thick pieces of wood as they saw them, and for the first time in a while, Annie felt as if she were on equal footing with Max.

Excited to fall into her new role, she enthusiastically talked to him about her new duties, much to Max's delight.

…

Tails stood in his hut, lost in thought. So much had happened and come to light in the past few weeks that he felt as if he were stuck in a perpetual loop of oscillating between happiness, pure self-loathing, and dread.

Sonic… Ever since he heard the story from Annie, he couldn't believe it. Hell, he still wouldn't believe it.

He had no trust for the miserable lackey of Robotnik, but there was this desperate naivety and hope inside of himself that almost forced him to entertain the possibility.

Tails didn't blame Max for his decision, as he knew he would likely have done the same if it meant even the slightest chance of seeing his hero again.

Conflicting as it may be, he almost hoped Snively was lying, as that meant that he would never have to face Sonic with the regretful things he'd said and done over the years.

Tails shook his head, snapping himself out of his guilty thoughts, and began to focus on the task he had planned.

He moved over to the side of his room and picked up the metal box he had brought with him the day he and Cream had been assaulted.

He hoisted it up and carried it out of his front door and over to Rotor's workshop. Once he reached the door, he opened it with a gentle kick, causing Rotor to look towards the door and Snively to stare back from his place on the floor.

Tails could see the wall had been cleared out and that Snively was tinkering away at the frame of the supposed teleportation device. It was relatively large for a more compact version of it, but Tails didn't come here to inquire about the "Rift Gate."

Snively wiped his brow of sweat and stood up to take a bite of food that Rotor had brought him from breakfast.

The two seemed to not really be talking, but Tails was unconcerned with Snively getting along with anybody. He walked over to the small human and dropped the box with a clang to the floor.

Snively stared down at it and then back up at Tails as if he were confused.

"What is it? The advanced robots were placing it on our heads in the woods. I am sure you know what it is." Tails cut directly to the chase.

Snively took a large gulp of water and bent over to examine the destroyed parts and headpiece. After a short examination, Snively gave a prompt answer.

"That is a neural scanner. It was attached to the Mk-II interrogation bot." He dropped the piece back into the box.

"So, what does that mean?" Tails said, slightly annoyed.

Snively took a seat at the workbench, and rather than play games, he merely answered him.

"It scans the neural patterns of the animal wearing the helmet and extracts valuable information from the subject." He said and then took another drink of water.

"What?" Tails and Rotor said almost in unison, as it seemed like it was unbelievable levels of advanced.

"Years ago, after Robotnik ousted control of ORACLE from me, he asked me to start categorizing and indexing all the animal's records into one giant database. From there, he started drafting up and creating the newly specialized robots that excel at certain functions." Snively paused and placed his water glass on the table.

"One of them was the neural scanner bot that could add to or draw from that database. To put it in layman's terms, the robot can use that to figure out who you are, what you know, and what skills you possess. I really don't know why Robotnik did this, but I assume it is to gauge your threat level." Snively finished his explanation with a guess to its purpose.

Tails thought hard and tried to find a reason for any of that but was drawing a blank. Snively seemed as genuinely in the dark as he was about the specifics behind the plot, but he did seem to know little bits about it.

"Thanks…" Was all he could say.

Now that he knew that Robotnik was interested in the specifics of animals rather than using them for general hard labor. It became a new prominent concern in his mind.

Snively looked surprised and barely suppressed a smile. To be thanked for something was unheard of for him, and it gave him a sense of joy long forgotten.

He watched as Tails left to finish his map repair task and then quickly went back to tinkering with the frame of the Rift Gate.

The animals were giving him renewed purpose, and a means to get even with his uncle for the years of humiliating abuse.

…

Nicole worked on the new hut as the hour passed, and she had come incredibly far from nothing. She had already constructed the outer frame and was now working on the critical components like the electrical circuitry.

Having sent Sonia on a mission to gather more wood and certain parts was only helping speed up the progression even more, and now she estimated the hut would be done in days rather than a week.

Her metal body was on all fours on the ground, and she was busy attaching wires together so that they would adequately provide electricity. This hut was going to be more prison-like, but it would be afforded the luxuries of most other shelters, except for being able to leave at will.

Her hand moved into the crevice where the wiring would be kept, and then came a loud sound, one similar to that of a siren that pierced her robotic ears.

Her head darted up, and she started frantically looking around the empty hut.

"?"

She was perplexed and disoriented, but the sound persisted, growing ever louder as time went by.

She quickly stood up and started to look around herself. She could see Bunnie, Cream, and Antoine talking in the distance, but it was readily apparent that the sound could not be heard by them.

She quickly caught on that it was something only she could hear, and without hesitation, she started to rapidly leave the construction area and run towards the source of the sound.

The closer she got to it, the louder it became, and she was now in what can only be described as a panic. She ran past huts and through the center of Knothole until she found herself at Tails' hut.

With little hesitation, she used her metal foot to kick open the door.

Tails jumped as his door broke open, with pieces of wood flying onto the floor. He could see Nicole rushing towards him, and he feared she had gone berserk and come to attack him.

He reached his hand over to grasp at his gun sitting by the desk, but Nicole quickly pushed him out of the way, sending him tumbling to the floor.

"Ahh!" He yelled as he rolled on the ground, and as he looked up, he could see Nicole raise her metal fist.

SLAM!

With one forceful slam, Cream's map cube was obliterated into a thousand pieces.

"NICOLE! WHAT THE HELL!?" Tails screamed as he hopped up from the floor and angrily pushed her metal form aside.

He looked down at his weeks of hard work, gone in a single crushing motion. He was enraged and started pushing Nicole with his hands.

"GODDAMNIT, NICOLE! DO YOU KNOW HOW LONG THAT TOOK TO FIX? I JUST TURNED IT ON FOR THE FIRST TIME, AND YOU GO AND DESTROY IT!" He was shouting, but Nicole just allowed him to beat on her metal frame with his fist.

"RRRRRR! Damn Nicole! Why?! How am I going to explain this to Cream! That was her map!"

He was genuinely upset and felt like he wanted to destroy Nicole right now.

Nicole looked around herself cautiously and then started to speak. "Lower your voice."

"My voice? Why should I listen to you?" Tails said. His tone was still livid, but his volume level was coming down at her request.

"That thing was a signal emitter." She said in a hushed tone.

"What?" Tails repeated in disbelief.

"It wasn't a map; it was emitting a signal that only robots can hear." She stated.

"I don't understand, Nicole." Tails said as he looked at the broken pieces of the cube on the table.

"When I was working, I heard a loud sound being emitted from your hut. I followed the source of the sound until I reached that cube. When I destroyed it, the sound stopped completely." Nicole explained thoroughly.

Tails was in shock. Why would Cream have a robot signal emitter? He didn't want to think of the implications, but between himself and Nicole, they already had guesses to the answer to that.

They just stared in silence until Tails could speak. "Do you think anything else heard it?"

"I got it fairly quickly, so I think it is unlikely that any SWATBOTS picked up the signal," Nicole replied

Tails felt dizzy and just plopped himself onto his floor in defeat. He knew that Nicole was telling the truth, but what this meant as a whole eluded him.

He wanted to believe in the goodness of Cream but found himself falling back into doubt at every turn.

Whatever sinister secret had revealed itself just now struck Tails as one of many, and neither he nor Nicole knew what to do about it.

…

Beep

Robotnik's big metal finger pressed the flashing red button on his throne, and on the other end of the intercom was silence.

"…"

"ORACLE…?"

"Your excellence… I have gotten word back, the acknowledgment for the vacancy of sector B-8 and the Freedom Fighter stronghold capture is secured. The countdown began at 08:00 hours," ORACLE responded.

Robotnik leaned back and put his hand to his chin in contemplative thought about the recent fight he was receiving from the animals. It was as if they were rejuvenated, and though it didn't worry him, he was suspicious.

"ORACLE… What is the Freedom Fighter's likely plan, given the events that have transpired? Why are they buying time…?" He asked.

ORACLE was quiet for a moment, then responded. "I believe their initial goal was to relieve pressure, and they just so happened to exploit vulnerabilities that happened to coincide with Snively's betrayal. Now that the waters are still, I believe there is a 99% probability that their next goal will be the canon itself."

Robotnik patted his stomach while thinking some more, and it seemed to make sense to him. This was all a mouse game… they were surviving just long enough to get to the next mousetrap.

"ORACLE… With security off of sector B-8 I want, the excess SWATBOT units sent to guard the perimeter of the canon…."

"Yes, your excellency, and what of the other matters?"

Robotnik laughed a bit and then leaned forward. "I am a bit late… Please prepare the wolf for roboticization. After which, I will personally come to collect the data." He paused briefly.

"Since we are in a standstill with nothing else to be done, send the alert to the MK-II units that my nephew is now priority one… find him, and drag him back here…. Destroy anything he's taken with him."

"Yes, your excellence priority one set on Snively… I have also received a warning from the MK-II that it is in pursuit of the wounded animal and will have her sent to the roboticizer quickly after she is apprehended." ORACLE responded.

Robotnik played with his mustache and then let out a small laugh. "Hah! So, she tried to hobble away, eh? Well… Good to know she is getting some exercise while she still has legs to stand on." He said pleasantly.

He pushed forward and took to his feet, then walked over to the dimly glowing monitor on the massive console. Once there, he placed his hands atop the keys and let out an exasperated sigh.

As much as he was going to enjoy ripping his nephew apart, being rid of Lupe, and destroying Knothole. He was finding everything complicated since his nephew fled.

There was simply far too much to take care of, and monitoring every station personally became tedious.

Robotnik wiped the sweat off his brow, and for a moment, wasn't sure what to do next.

"…"

"Sire… I can't help but notice you are overworked and stressed…." ORACLE stated out of the blue.

Robotnik curiously eyed the camera that ORACLE used to see him and then frowned. "What are you getting at, ORACLE?"

ORACLE, upon hearing him, responded. "If you were willing to release me from my safety protocol, I could effortlessly manage all tasks for you, and more efficiently than your nephew ever did… It would be all done with a fast, robotic mind."

Robotnik was caught off guard by such a statement, and he looked down at the keyboard. He knew that unleashing her would allow him to have complete freedom for other things of more importance, while the busy work was handled by a sleepless entity…

As great of a prospect as that sounded, the fact that ORACLE suggested it immediately concerned him.

"Just shut up, ORACLE… Do as you are told." His voice came out less threatening and angry than usual, an oddity, to say the least.

"As you command, your majesty," ORACLE responded without protest.

…

Once, he was left alone in nothing but the dim glow of his console. He stared blankly at the static that was on display, never had he realized how much Snively did until he was gone.

"…"

…

"ORACLE…" He said.

…

"Yes, your Majesty?" Her voice echoed through the dead throne room.

…

"I'll consider your proposal…."

…

Wrap Up. The original ending was short, but it was necessary, mainly because when I wrote "The Wolf," The scenes still exit based on this ending. That is what happens when I delete stuff because I feel emotionally impaired and not because the story needs it.