Agatha the Cat is a simple barista on the surface. Living a life of her own with her two kittens, Ebony and Ivory. After nearly losing them, Agatha is happy to spend as much time with them as she can afford. Of course, there were some unfinished business that she needed to attend to soon… Business that may test her morality…

At the currently offline Oil Ocean shipyard, Agatha was sitting by the edge overlooking the ocean, starting at the horizon. Her tail waved lazily on the concrete as Ebony and Ivory played tag around the containers behind her. Her ear twitched as she heard the sound of someone running before a distinct skidding sound was heard.

Agatha: "Sonic, I presume?"

Sonic: "Yo, Agatha. I'm just here to drop off someone."

Agatha turned and saw Sally walk up to her, smiling at her before sitting next to her.

Sonic: "Alright! I'm gonna see if Uncle Chuck or Mom need anything. Catch ya later!"

Sonic rushes off without delay, leaving a trail of smoke behind him as Sally sighs.

Sally: "Aaaand he's off… Marching to the sound of his own footsteps…"

Agatha: "I suppose drums would be too slow even for him."

Sally shakes her head before looking at the horizon.

Sally: "It's a beautiful day. Usually… when I'm feeling down… I just stare at the scenery. I remind myself of the beauty of our world. And with Eggman still out there, I need to fight to maintain our world's beauty…"

Agatha: "...That's quite honorable, Princess…"

The two sit for a moment, getting lost in the serenity of the scene… before Ivory hops over Sally and jumps into the water, startling her and Agatha.

Agatha: "Ivory! What have I told you about jumping over people!?"

Ivory: "...Um… Not to? Sorry…"

Sally: "It's… no trouble… I just wasn't expecting it is all."

Agatha: "Ebony? Pull your sister out while I speak with Princess Sally privately, if you'd be so kind?"

Ebony nods and approaches the edge of the pier and helps her sister out of the water.

Ebony: "You really shouldn't worry Mom like that."

Ivory: "You dared me to do it."

Ebony: "I joked about it; you were just eager to do it."

Agatha sighs as she and Sally move away to continue talking. Now that the serenity moment was gone, Agatha gave a more serious expression to the princess.

Agatha: "I should ask what you need, Sally. I know you didn't just show up just to stare at the horizon."

Sally: "You… are correct. Agatha, after seeing your skills in that battle, I'd be kicking myself if I didn't at least ask this to you directly. Would you be willing to join me and the others to form a team in order to help defend Mobius?"

Agatha: "...No. I must decline, Princess… I have… trouble working with others…"

Sally: "Really? Didn't seem like the case in the fight."

Sally raises an eyebrow while pointing out Agatha's own idea to defeat the Heavy King and the Ome-Supreme. Agatha brushes these off as she turns away.

Agatha: "Simply a matter of getting lucky. I do genuinely have bad experiences working with others… As they say… 'A black cat brings nothing but bad luck'..."

Sally: "Yeah… And I call that saying 'bullshit'."

Agatha was a bit startled by the sudden bit of vulgarity from the noble princess of Acorns. But Sally continued.

Sally: "You brought us a lot of good luck that day. Your abilities are way more useful than you let on. And-"

Agatha: "They bring nothing BUT DREAD!"

Agatha's sudden roar silences Sally as now she's the one taken aback. Ebony and Ivory look back at the conversation before getting closer to listen in.

Agatha: "...In my time of living… I have seen things go terribly wrong… Lives taken too soon, villages burned… Civilizations gone in mere hours… I've seen… all of them. The Kingdom of Acorn is among those tragedies…"

This gets Sally's attention as she looks at the cat, now with a quizzical look.

Sally: "My kingdom…? What do you mean? The last tragedy in recent history was the death of its latest queen, Alicia Acorn, of whom my middle name comes from. And while there have been tragedies before that, they were at least a hundred years ago now…"

Agatha: "...Are you familiar with the story of the 'Magic King'?"

Sally: "...Y-Yes… Atticus Acorn, the sixth king of our lineage, was known as the King of Magic due to his teachings from someone close to him."

Agatha: "Not just close - married to at one point…"

Sally's began to connect the dots, her eyes going wide as she takes a step back.

Sally: "Wh-Wait! Are you my grandmother!? My ancestor!?"

Agatha: "...No. Atticus and I married, but we never had kids before the incident. He remarried, but from my recollection, it was a loveless relationship, since his new spouse was only there to make an heir for the throne."

Sally: "O-Oh… B-But there are no records of a remarriage… It's stated in the history books that he only married once."

Agatha: "Yes. Because the idea of remarrying would look bad to the general public. Of course, no one actually knew of our marriage aside from a select and trusted few. Back then, I was but a normal harlequin. Merely a trickster on the streets who knew how to play with fire for what scrap of gold I could get. Atticus was nearby watching my performance with awe, complimenting me on my beauty. A comment I've heard more than a dozen times, but I was certainly flattered. He invited me for tea at the castle courtyard before asking me how I do my magic… I simply waved it off as simple parlor tricks - smoke and mirrors. But he had an eye; he knew my form of magic was genuine. I was… reluctant to teach him magic when he asked, but eventually I agreed. A year of teaching him led to our relationship blossoming… until we eventually married."

Sally: "Wow… So this is the true origin of the Magic King… It was never stated that he married his teacher. But why censor this bit of information?"

Agatha: "...Around the time of the Magic King, another story was written, was it not?"

Sally: "Y-Yes… The Burning Castle… In the age of King Atticus, a sudden inferno erupted from inside the castle. Many were caught in the fire, but as it seemed like no lives could be saved, the fire flew away like a phoenix, into the dark night sky."

Agatha: "That fire… was me."

Sally was stunned silent. Her mind was processing a lot of given information, which led her to go in circles before Agatha could continue.

Agatha: "...Ugh… It started as a simple disagreement. I wanted to make our marriage known publicly, since I was a beloved jester to their eyes. But that was just it; the idea of a magical harlequin marrying a king - a far higher social rank - could lead to damning retribution. This back and forth grew until we were yelling. My anger grew and grew before it violently exploded in an inferno. An inferno so great that it left me weakened greatly… In this inferno, I saw the result of my actions, and as to be expected… Guilt overcame me. I pulled in as much of the fire as I could… before vanishing… never to be seen again…"

Sally: "...Aggy…"

Agatha: "...You are the first in a while to know of my origins… My children know more - I dare not lie to them… But everyone only sees a loving young barista… Not realizing that the one running the barista… is a monster…"

Sally: "B-But… That was one incident… r-right?"

Agatha solemnly shook her head.

Agatha: "...There are a lot of tragedies… So many in fact that I lost count after a while. Some were at least quick - giving me no time to truly care… But the few that were… Stuck with me…"

Sally: "...Agatha… Just… how old are you?"

Agatha: "...I lost count of the years… I'm old enough to have witnessed the birth of the Kingdom of Acorn in its infancy."

Sally was floored, mouth agape as she watches Agatha turn away.

Agatha: "I apologize for my answer, Sally. But I cannot join your team. …Besides… That pink hedgehog looks like she can provide better fortune… than some ancient witch can…"

Agatha tips her hat in farewell as she whistles for Ebony and Ivory. Ivory soon runs up to join her mother. But Ebony looks to Sally.

Ebony: "She… broods a lot. Tragedy does seem to follow her around. Like an endless curse. But… give it time; maybe you'll break through. Besides, I'd love any excuse to hang out with you guys. You guys are cool."

Sally turns to Ebony before smiling at her asshe leaves to her mother's side. But the princess decides to respect Agatha's decision. She may return to it one day… But for now, she had others to talk to and so much light left in the day.

Sally: "...Honestly… I don't see some ancient witch… Or a walking disaster… I just see someone… who needs a friend to help her out."

Sally sighs before leaving to the transit to head to Metropolis. As she leaves, hiding behind a crate, Breezie comes out of hiding as she held out her phone, it recording the entire conversation.

Breezie: "...A walking disaster, huh? I wonder if this will be useful…"

Breezie smiles evilly at her reflections as she presses 'Save' on the recording…

To be continued…