A/N: Sorry for the long delay, I had a lot of stuff I needed to work out. Also, these three chapters were extremely lengthy due to the song cues. Yeah, big surprise, the Sonic Underground chapter has music numbers.
That being said, sadly, I have to get rid of the lyrics because of the site rules(As if the admins were ever paying attention...)
Sonic stepped out, holding his hand to his medallion and summoning a guitar. With a smirk, he looked back at Tails and asked, "Ready little guy?"
A green hedgehog with a mohawk nodded and chuckled as a drum set appeared in front of him, and he began to twirl his drumsticks in his fingers, "Well duh. Tails-man was born for this. It's not like this is the biggest concert of his life."
"No, it's just a fun little show," a magenta hedgehog said, standing in front of her piano and running her fingers along the keys. After blinking his eyes at the two hedgehogs for a second, Tails would note that the two other hedgehogs in the room looked like Sonic if one would change his quill colors or give him a mohawk.
Sonic stepped out and strummed his guitar, the various animals shouting and cheering
"Let's rock this joint!" Sonic said.
The green hedgehog started to beat on his drums like a heartbeat and smirked as the rhythm started to kick into high gear.
The animals started to move along with the beat, while others started to thump their paws against the ground as the music moved into second gear. On the stage, the green hedgehog smirked and whispered to Tails, "OK little guy, work your magic!"
Tails nodded, Okay, sure, let me just wing it! He proceeded to press buttons on the machine, hoping to get the desired effects.
The room bathed itself in a bright blinding pink light, eclipsed in fire. The pink hedgehog began to strut down the walkway as a firey lion walked behind her, her outfit magically turned into a slim nightgown.
At this, she brushed her hair back with a flourish, causing most of the male animals (Plus three females and one questioning) to cheer.
She said this last part with a wink as she walked back across the stage, giving Tails a quick nod as she strutted. Seeing that as his cure, Tails quickly began to hit his fingers across the keys in an attempt to continue to make something happen.
The green hedgehog let out a howl as he started to beat on the drum base, changing the beat in perfect time. As he did, the special effects began to glow the area green while the ground began to grow flowers. Taking his solo, the green hedgehog started to belt out
The wind, earth, and fire began to mix as the three siblings began to play in harmony. The three united on stage as they started to belt out the music even louder than before. Above their heads, the three colors began to form into a beautiful purple female hedgehog wearing a royal gown. One audience member could be heard shouting "Whoa, the queen is a total MILF!"
Ignoring the comment the three began to play a song in perfect rocking harmony.
Sonic stepped out with a bow and shouted, "THANK YOU! GOODIGHT!" and then he walked back to give the tired Tails a high five, "Fantastic little bro."
Tails laughed,"Eh heh, thanks..."
.The pink hedgehog smiled as she walked towards the group, her instrument long disappearing. Pressing her finger to her ear, she smiled as she said, "Just got word, it's all set and we're good to go."
"Awesome sis!" Manic said, pulling out the keys, "So what say we get to the van and get out of here before the real fireworks start?"
"Manic, wait, you and Sonia start the car and get moving," Sonic said, holding up his hands. "How long did Cyrus say it would take?"
"A minute so we need to leave no-" Before Sonia could finish though, the wind blew through her hair as a blur went by. Rolling her eyes she grumbled and took Tails by the hand, "Come on little guy."
Tails let her lead him,Okay, so in this world, Sonic has two siblings. Must be Robotnik's nightmare.
Sonic raced through the streets of Empire city, finding a box of chilidogs waiting for him. Licking his lips, he picked up the box and began to run back. While he ran, a small flyer floated in front of his face.
Station Square Rock Festival
Come for fun, competition, and food.
A special battle of the bands will be held for all entrants with a
Chaotic Prize one won't forget.
"Nice, great way to chillax," Sonic said, running off as a large explosion rocked the town.
(Robotnik's palace, evil deeds done at your expense.)
A large orange animal that could be scarcely called a Dingo walked with a skinny jackal, tapping his fingers in worry," Oh, Robotnik is not going to like this."
"Yes, if there is one thing I hate doing is giving the master bad news," the Jackal said.
"Oi! Sleet, I want to give him the bad news. You never let me give Robotnik bad news! I wanna I wanna!" Dingo said, crying and kicking the wall.
Sleet put his head onto his open palm and looked at his side with a glance that said 'This is too easy." Turning back to look at his large compatriot he said, "Why sure old friend, you can give Lord Robotnik, he of the long and curtious temperament, the bad news."
"Oh boy oh boy" Dingo said, walking into the throne room.
Robotnik sat in his large chair, pressing his fingers together as he looked at the monitors. His flesh and metal fingers lightly tapped as he heard footsteps, "Report!"
"Well, you know that new plant you installed in Empire City. The one you said would provide power to the nobles there but actually stole power and was just a new power plant for you and you alone. And it was also a robotization plant?"
"Yes?" Dr. Robotnik said, growling.
"Well, it seems that the resistance blew it up. That whole concert thing was a distraction after all and we fell for it." Dingo said.
...
BLAM!
As Robotnik looked at Dingo running around with his pants on fire, he said, "Get your coward of a partner here immediately! "
Sleet's eyes widened,"Um... Yes sir?"
"Do you know how long those rebels have been allowed to attack and gain ground in my world? Three years. Three years I have been dealing with these upgraded attacks on my rule. And do you know who is responsible for this?" Robotnik asked.
"The hedgehogs sire?" asked Dingo.
"Those BLASTED HEDGEHOGS!" Robotnik said, slamming his fist against the console. "I have had to deal with their infernal messages of hope and peace for too long. What's worse, I DESPISE THEIR INSIPID ROCK AND ROLL!" Slowly getting back up to his feet, he started to walk around the room. "It is about time we start to make changes in the way I rule around here. Computer, send messages to the most powerful of the nobles, heads of all the main houses, and tell them to come here!"
The computer blipped for a few seconds, then responded with a little girl's voice, "Yes, Robotnik."
"Next, I want you and Dingo to meet up with a new bounty hunter I hired. You three have some...items to get. He will give you the details," Robotnik said.
Sonia, holding a small cup of tea in one hand, walked through the RV towards where Tails sat, happily eating his chili dogs and drinking a mint milkshake, "So, you are not our Tails, but a Tails that came from an alternate dimension and is now inhabiting the body. While our Tails is back in your world and you are trying to find your way home."
"Woah," Manic said, driving with only half his mind on the road, "Just way too much science info bro. Could ya', maybe clear it up for the non-brainy dudes?" this elicited a laugh from Sonic as he strummed his guitar.
"Okay," Tails said,"Your Tails' brain has been swapped with mine."
Oh, ok man," Manic said, nodding. "Sonic says the same thing about me all the time."
Sonic rolled his eyes as he strummed his guitar, "And as for our backstory...
Tails sat back, listening intently to the song.
Slowly, but surely the triplets added their voices to the song. All the while the opening credits play.
Alena walked through a forested area. Sitting down, she brushed past some leaves and foilage to expose a glowing light blue gem. Turning her head o the sky she whispered.
Tails nodded along,"I see. This is kind of a lot to take in, I'm not used to Sonic being a prince..."
"What, I'm not a prince in the other world?" asked Sonic.
Manic looked down a little, muttering under his breath, "Must be nice."
"Yeah, you're not... you're also an only child as far as I know." Tails said.
There was a small quiet in the room for a minute, as the trio tried to comprehend a world where they were not together. Manic looked down again as he began to remember how excited he was not to be alone, to have a true family in his siblings, but a world without them was something that left a bad taste in his mouth. Sonia, for her part, held her tea cup in hand and just looked down at the swirling water. Lady Windemere, for her part, tried to be the family Sonia needed, but there was always something more with Sonic and Manic. Subtly, she closed her eyes, thinking about it.
Sonic, on the other hand, just laughed it off, "Eh, at least we're all here together here!"
"Y-yeah," Sonia said, nodding.
Sonic then went back to strumming his guitar, inwardly thinking "Though, one of these days...we might have to leave each other anyway. Must be nice not being a prince and worrying about responsibility at all, just being free."
Breaking the silence for a bit, Maniac called out, "So, Sonia, you seem okay with this little competition. Thought you would be the first to say it sounds like a trap."
"I'm not," Sonia said, laying the flyer down on the ground, "Whoever did this, knew who they were looking for. I put this under a water test and found the seal of the resistance on it. Not to mention, but look at how it's colored."
Sonic walked forward, as Manic could be heard saying, "Hey, describe a little will ya? Can't see while driving!"
"Well, let Tails drive," Sonic said. "He's been meaning to drive something for a while."
"Fine man," Manic said, getting out of his seat, he then motioned to Tails for him to take his turn.
"Okay!" Tails hopped in and began to drive it,"Station Square again... hopefully there won't be a big water monster..." He muttered.
"What was that?"
"Nothing." Tails said, Don't want to jinx it...
Sonia nodded and looked back at the pamphlet, "Look at the way certain letters are colored."
"Don't know sis," Manic said, scratching his head, "Looks random to me."
"Ah, but look at certain letters," Sonia said, pointing at various letters. "Some are colored magenta, some green, and some blue."
"Yeah, wait," Sonic said, "Those are our colors."
Sonia smiled, "Yep. This means that this is somehow connected to the resistance. They wanted us to find it, and they wanted us to come to Station Square. Why? I don't know."
"Because they know they need us. After all," Sonic said, jumping back onto the couch and playing with a pic while throwing a chili dog into the air and eating it in one gulp. "We make the resistance look good!"
"Sure," Sonia said, rolling her eyes, "Let's go with that."
Manic looked back up at his triplet, "So, what's unique about this Station Square place?"
"Well," Sonia said, "I've always heard that it's one of the few places left that Robotnik hasn't touched. Mainly because a lot of the nobility have paid him not to put anything big here. So things like singing, dancing, and fun are allowed. Everything Robotnik has taken is there."
"It's why the resistance calls it the last great free city," Sonic said, smiling, "Always wanted to see it, but I didn't want Buttnik finding us and destroy it."
"Aw, that's so courteous," Sonia said, smiling.
"I wonder who keeps paying off Robotnik to leave it alone?" Tails asked.
"Some say some of the richest people on Mobeius, some said it's a secret cabal of people who are wanting a place to keep some neutrality," Sonia said, "And some even think it might be some of the old rulers before our family came into power."
"Yeah, weren't there other kingdoms around?" asked Sonic.
Sonia nodded, "Yeah, some like the Acorn family, or like the ninja families."
"Acorn, I know that name!"
"You do?" asked Sonic. "Not many remember. After something happened in the kingdom, they kind of just vanished off the map."
"Oh..." Tails winced.
"They important in your world?" asked Sonic.
"Yeah. The Princess led the Freedom Fighters." Tails said.
They all blinked in surprise at this as the road before them continued on.
Scourge looked at Starline for a second, his eyes wide in shock, "Please, explain, the plan, again."
"We are going to participate in that Battle of the Bands." Starline leaned back,"We should take a more background approach to this world. Mainly because there is something I need to figure out."
Scourge gave an odd look to Starlline, and then back to his girl Fiona. The fox lady giggled at this and shrugged, which led Scourge to look back at Starline and ask, "What are you trying to figure out, and what is up with that helmet?" he added, pointing to a box helm with LEDs on it.
Starline spun around,"I WILL MAKE SURE THAT THIS WORLD IS AWARE OF MY FANTASTIC SINGING VOICE!" He coughed,"Also, I need to figure out why we are being followed by that fox."
"...You really don't get out much, do you?" asked Scourge.
"I'm simply a very cultured platypus!" Starline said.
Scourge could only facepalm at this, "This is going to be a painful adventure."
"Come, I have outfits for both of you!" Starline said.
Scourge whimpered, "Please tell me they look good.
Sleet looked at his new companion,"What was your name again?"
"Nack," the weasel said, tipping his hat. "Robotnik said he would pay good money to help you find the queen and then get the 'Prize'. What does your boss even have planned?"
"I don't know. I'm just here to do my job." Sleet said with a frown,"Though with all that I've been through, I'm considering quitting.
Dino gasped, "Oh no, Sleet, you can't mean that."
"Well think! How much have we gotten paid to do a job that we've been failing for three years!?" Sleet said,"Add on to that, we keep getting abused by our boss all the time! I mean, I'm mean to you, but that's me!"
"Wait, abuse as in actual physical or more of a sibling 'light slap and make you do the work when you are lazy abuse?" Nack asked.
"The latter. That's because Sleet says he does it out of respect for me," Dingo said, "But Sleet we...and wee...well...You are right, we've been paid nothing."
"Exactly! I swear, the first chance I get, I'm betraying that fat egg..."
Nack looked a little confused, "Wait, how much had he been paying you two? Because he promised me 2000 Robotnik bucks."
"Wha-" Sleet's eye twitched,"2000...
Nack nodded, "Yeah, he promised me that. What, did he promise you less?"
"... Yes..." Sleet moaned.
"How much less," asked Nack.
"None at all..."
Nack slapped his face, "And this is why I was the best."
Sleet began to grumble,"Never get any respect.
Dingo smiled, "Awww, I respect ya, Sleet."
"Thanks..."
"Now that's what I like to see, big smiles!" Dingo said, hugging both of his teammates.
"This is gonna suck." Sleet muttered.
Aleena sighed as she pulled out the light blue emerald. In a way, the color and the way it reflected the light made her think of the eldest of her triplets. Opening the pouch, she slipped the small gem into her pack with two other gems, one a dark purple and the other a bright yellow. As she made sure that each emerald was safe and secure, she stood up to her full height and whispered to herself, "Three down. Just four more to we can be together my children."
SEveral spotlights shone on her as a robotic voice spoke,"Priority:Queen Aleena spotted.
Aleena let out a gasp and backed away slowly, looking for an exit. Turning around, she began to run into the woods.
Several bullets came after her as a red robot with the number E-102 followed her.
Aleena slid down a small hill and ran to a nearby tree, reaching into a stump. Then she looked at some of the robots and pulled out a laser rifle to shoot at some of the air cars. Watching as the shots bearly worked on them, she turned to keep running. Occasionally, she would turn to fire a shot at 102, "Robotnik must be getting angrier, he's never gone this far before."
Looking down at her pouch, she quickly began to think of a hiding place, "Just got to get away from that robot!"
Several metallic footsteps followed her, before another barrage of gunshots.
Seeing a rock, she rolled behind it and began to dig a small hole, "Gotta hide these," she said, putting the emeralds into the hole.
E-102 came forward before a group of flickies flew by. It paused, staring at the birds flying away.
Aleena paused, watching the robot to watch the robots fly by. For a moment, she thought to herself, "Does he have an animal inside him? Is he... remembering?" For a moment, she forgot to run from the killer robot as her mind began to think.
E-102 turned back to her and aimed his gun at her.
Aleena threw a rock into his gun before running off.
The gun exploded in the robot's hand, causing it to step back,"Unit Damaged. Must return for repairs."
"And that is why you don't mess with the queen," Aleena said, turning around.
A large black robot with the number E-101 Beta was right behind her.
Aleena then turned and ran as the shots began to ring out.
A blue robot appeared near her.
"Oh come on!"
The robot aimed a gun at her.
Aleena ducked, trying to let the robots shoot each other as she ran to climb up a tree.
There was the sound of bullets hitting metal.
A green robot was in the tree,"Hello."
Aleena slowly said, "Hello..."
"You are Queen Aleena." The robot said.
"Yes," she said, backing away.
"I'mma take you down now." The robot said.
"No," Aleena said, jumping from the tree branch and back down to the ground, running off. Stopping to hide, she panted and sat down to rest for a bit. Looking around she said, "What is Robotnik after? He's never gone this hard before."
A hand grabbed at her from behind the tree she rested at.
"GAH!" Aleena said, struggling.
A maniacal laughter was heard as Robotnik's voice came over a speaker from the robot,"There you are, Queenie."
"You would think a fellow ruler would know how to show respect, rather than calling me queenie!" Said Aleena, "What's the matter? Too fat to get out of your own chair?"
"I see where the blue one gets his attitude from." Robotnik snarled,"I'm sorry, you don't get respect based on the fact that you are no longer ruling anything!"
"Last I checked, still alive, still ruling, and still an inspiration," Aleena said. She stuck her tongue out and then said. "You are the one on your last legs!"
"And yet you're in my clutches," Robotnik said.
Aleena could only glare at him "So what are you gonna do to me?"
"Toss you down a ravine, record it, and then make your kids watch."
"...A ravine is new," Aleena said.
"I really want you dead." Robotnik said.
"You seem sure this will break my children," Aleena said, narrowing her eyes.
"Oh, I know it will..."
Queen Aleena narrowed her eyes, "Then do, Humpty."
She was then tossed into a ravine.
Queen Aleena did not scream, she just began to move her body slightly. Using her shoulder as a brace, she hit the rocky side and landed for the water. Taking a deep breath, she allowed the water to sweep er away down below.
"Target neutralized, Sire," the young girl voice said.
"Good." Robotnik smiled,"Soon, it'll all be over..." He let out a laugh.
Knuckles sat on top of one of the pillars of rock that stood on the island. Taking a deep breath of the air of the floating island and the jungle around him below, he leaped off to glide to the ground for his rounds. Hearing the sounds of the jungle below made him think of his own loneliness of being the sole guardian of the island and his duties. And three hedgehogs who showed him a better life.
Landing on the ground below, he put his palms to the ground and got ready to race through the forest. The trees passed by him quickly as he ran, panting as he could imagine a hedgehog running with him through the trees with the wind at their backs.
With a big laugh, he leaped off the cliff and glided from the top to the bottom, letting the wind take him wherever the drafts would guide him and his body.
Landing on the ground below, he saw something pink pass him by. Curious, and a little longingly, he walked to it in the hopes of seeing someone special
Sonia smiled as she sat by the log, looking at him. Warming, comfortingly. Their hands nearing each other.
Knuckles ran a little faster toward the pink blur he had seen, hearing the song picking up its pace as he ran with it.
Stopping, he frowned when he only saw a flamingo talking to her sister, and he leaned to the side. His mind was off once more, to a memory of a time not too long ago. Of a time he would take the hand of a female hedgehog and lead her to the topmost canopy of the island.
Blue eyes met dark purple as they reached the top, and for a moment, they felt something. They stayed to look at each other and their hands began to get closer. In the present, Knuckles sighed and asked.
Knuckles broke out of his memory and looked up, deciding to climb the mountainside towards where his destination lay.
Knuckles finished his singing, reaching the cliff hole and the slide. Slipping down, he reached the hidden palace of the island where the Master Emerald lay waiting on the shrine. A shrine dedicated to harmony that would never again be destroyed by greed or hate. Running his hand through his red dredlocks, he said to himself, "Athair, it's hard, you know."
A voice said,"It's about to get harder, boy."
Knuckles got into a fighting stance, looking around for the source of the voice. His heart stopped cold when he heard blood dripping, "What did you do to Chomps?"
A white echidna wearing a black cloak came into view, and behind him was the body of a dinosaur,"He was in my way."
Knuckles got into a fighting stance, narrowing his eyes, "Who are you?"
"I am Dr. Finitevus." He bowed,"I'm here to unravel the threads of fate."
"What do you mean," Knuckles said, walking around the doctor, keeping his eyes on him and never getting out of his stance. "No one can do that. We can only see the threads, we can't change them."
"Actually, you won't change them." Dr. Finitevus said," You're allowing yourself to be beholden to some prophecies given by old men."
"Prophecies that are true. The Oracle has never been wrong and neither has my grandfather," Knuckles said, glaring at Fintevus, "I can't change them because who knows what happens when we do."
Finitevus smiled,"Shame." He slammed a fist into the Master Emerald,"I don't like following prophecies. I prefer causing... Chaos."
"Don't you dare touch that!"Knuckles said, gliding at Fintevius with a right hook.
Finitevus threw up a ring portal and then used another to redirect Knuckles' fist into the Master Emerald,"Thank you."
"Thank you?"
"You smashed the emerald for me."
Knuckles paused in horror before turning around to watch as the spiderweb cracks began to form on the master emerald, "Oh...no." he whispered under his breath.
The cracks began to get bigger and bigger until the emerald shattered with a loud crash. Emerald shards flew all over the hallowed ground, embedding them into the rocks and pillars. From within the center, a bright light blasted out from the center while a little orb escaped.
Elsewhere, Dingo shouted, "Hey Sleet! Look look, I found the emeralds!" he said, clapping his hands.
"You moron, you couldn't. Not without the emeral-" Sleet paused, seeing three lights shine out from the small little mound of dirt. Smirking, he said, "Ha! Never send a bunch of robots to do a bounty hunter's job."
As this continued, Knuckles backed away in horror, unable to move as he could feel the chaotic energy begin to spread out.
The oracle was blown back by the surge, shaking his head as he looked at the orb in front of him, "No, no. This cannot be. This shouldn't be allowed to happen! "
In Soleanna, a swan looked on in amazement as she said, "And the emerald just began to flash?" She asked as she watched the emerald begin to glow and throb.
"Yes, your highness. And what's more we can confirm six other chaotic energy signatures flowing out,"
Knuckled turned to Fintaveus and growled, "Do you know what you have done? You have unleashed chaos upon the world! Who knows what's going to happen to Mobius now!?"
Dr. Finitevus smirked,"Oh, I know." He turned and walked away,"I'm just going to enjoy the fireworks."
"No, you get back here," Knuckles said racing out to try and punch him.
Unfortunately, Finitevus had already left through the portal.
"Damn!" Knuckles aid, slamming his fist into the ground and making a small crack. Any other expletives he had to say were interrupted by the sound of the island crashing into the water. Taking a quick step outside, he took a deep breath of relief when he saw that the island was conveniently near a body of water and no one was hurt. Taking a look off into the distance, he flew off to a nearby rocky mountainside.
"And that's the story grandfather," Knuckles said to the old echidna as he sat before the fire.
"This is indeed troubling," Athair said, taking his cane and walking around the cave, "Long has our people been the guardian of the floating island and the master emerald. And long have we been the ones to make sure that the monster has been held back within its gem."
"And I busted it. I went in without thinking," Knuckles said, clenching his fist.
"And now Chaos is unleashed," Athair sighed, "He will begin to spread his tendrils throughout the world, searching for the emeralds to gain power. At that point, he will devastate the planet."
"But, what about Robotnik, the council of four? What about Son-" Knuckles paused, not wanting to make it sound like he was putting one above the others.
Althair narrowed his eyes, "There is no prophecy, not anymore. The strings of fate have been severed and the world has changed. I cannot even see past tomorrow as it stands now."
"What do I do then? Just wait out the disaster?" asked Knuckles.
Athair shook his head and looked to Knuckles, "You must go to Station Square, the nearest city. They have one of the seven. Then find the royal siblings, perhaps by working together you can slow the destruction, or even stop it. For if not the seven lights can stop him...perhaps three golden lights can."
"Come on, I can run faster than this!" Sonic said, "We could've been in the city hours ago!"
"Look, I'm just saying we shouldn't be racing out, ruining our tires just because you are impatient!" Sonia argued as the Radio began to turn on.
Manic smiled as he looked out, "Wait sibs, we're here!"
As they rolled on seeing the big lights of the city, the various animals began to sing and dance
"So, who are we supposed to meet to enter the contest," Sonic asked..
As the group stepped out, a coyote walked up to them,"Zat would be moi, Antoine D'Coolette."
"Is...that a toupee?" asked Sonic as he got ff the van.
"Sonic, you don't say that," Sonia said, getting down next, "Forgive my brother Monsieur Antoine."
"Zat's quite alright. I am familiar with your brother's... rashness." Antoine muttered,"I am ze proprietor of Station Square, and the one holding ze event."
"Wow, you got so many people here," Manic said. "The prize must be something else.
"Oui, it is!" Antoine grinned,"It eez quite a remarkable... well, I'll zat be a surprise."
Tails then said,"Is it a Chaos Emerald?"
"..." Antoine stared at him.
"I'm very smart." Tails said
Sonic laughed and rubbed Tail's head, "Can't put anything past him really."
"Wait, a chaos emerald? How, when, why?" asked Sonia in utter shock
"Well, we so happened to have found it on an expedition," Antoine said.
Sonic shook her head, "Do you realize how lucky that was? They are all supposed to have been hidden for millennia."
Tails muttered something about,"Yeah, whatever..."
Antoine smiled,"Of course it's lucky! That's why we want to use it as a prize!"
"How can you be so sure it'll be safe until then?"
Antoine smirked,"Well, I do have a lot of bodyguards, also mi Papa has managed to stave off Dr. Robotnik's gaze over this place."
Sonia nodded, "Your poppa must be very smart to keep Robotnik from finding out about the emerald." she said, looking around.
"Yeah, but he lacks the proper security detail and you really need to hire better bodyguards," Manic said, holding the white gem in his hand, "You know if this wasn't so powerful I bet I could get about 25, 500 mobiums for it or Robotnik bucks."
"Manic!" Sonia yelled, tapping her foot as her brother chuckled and threw the gem back to Antoine, just to watch him squirm as he tried to juggle it. "Sonic, I thought you were keeping an eye on him."
"I blinked, I blinked for five seconds and he was already gone!" Sonic said, before standing with his little brother, "And besides, it's a good way to investigate their security detail, right, find weaknesses."
Sonia facepalmed, and rubbed her temples, "Monsieur Antoine, my apologies for my brothers. They may be royals, but they are also royal pains! I can assure you that they will be on their best behavior."
Antoine panted as he caught the emerald,"Are you sure!?" He gave a glare at Manic.
"I am su-" Sonia looked back at Manic, "Stop trying to put a cookie up your nose."
"But I can do it!" Manic whined, and then threw Antoine his wallet, "Oh, and here's your wallet. Your dad needs a better toupee and you need to change your pin number on your credit cards."
Sonic then took his brother by the elbow and carried him out, "We'll be right back after set up Ant."
A little while later, the trio found a place to park their van and saw where the competitors would be sleeping for the night. As the quartet got ready to meet at the party, Manic was the first to ask, "So what is up with that emerald? I thought they were all green."
"Not really," Sonia said, sitting on a bench, "The ones we keep finding are, well, natural ones that had come into contact with a real emerald. The power just leaked into those when they came near."
"Real, emerald?" asked Sonic.
Nodding, Sonia leaned back, "It was a story Lady Windemere used to tell me..."
Several ages past, long before the machines and the royal families, ancient beings of watery form came to our world bearing seven gems of infinite power. These were the seven Chaos emeralds, and they were given as gifts to the ancient mobiums. After giving the gems, the ancients faded away to spread their knowledge to the universe, leaving only a few members behind.
The Seven Chaos Emeralds were given to the seven tribes of Mobius: One was given to the Owls, the wisest and fairest of all beings. One was given to the Hedgehogs, clever and swift. One was given to the Coyotes, noble and brave. One was given to the Squirrels, caring and full of song. One was given to the Foxes, powerful mages. One was given to the chameleons, secret and skilled. And one was given to the Echindas, who above all desired power and conquest.
For it is said, that while the tribes all had the seven servers, the echindas had the controller. The greatest emerald of them all: The Master Emerald.
For it is said, that the servers are the seven chaos. The controller serves to unify the chaos.
With this in mind, the Echidnas decided on war to take the other emeralds from the other tribes and rule with an iron fist. They tried to take the master Emerald and use it for a weapon for war, and try as they might, the other races began to fall under the echidna's war machine.
The last ancient, seeing the bloodshed and sacrifice that occurred thanks to his gift, tried to stop the echidnas from their slaughter. However, when his calls went unheeded, his poor kind heart turned to rage and he began to attack the world.
"If your hearts are destined for destruction, then destruction you shall receive!"
In the midst of the chaos, a young echidna stood. Her heart, in pain at the suffering her people had caused, used her heart and the power of the seven to bring Chaos to keel and bind him within the master emerald.
Chaos is power and Power is enriched by the heart.
Seeing that the emeralds were too tempting, the seven tribes split the chaos emeralds across the planet, hidden by the opposite tribe. Then the Echindas were banished to the floating island as an eternal punishment, meant to watch over the master emerald for life.
One day, a good person may bring the seven emeralds together. And on that day, a miracle will happen and bring forth the light for us all.
"Hey wait, maybe that's what mom's been doing!" Sonic said, "She's been hiding out so we can get the emeralds and then become the council of four and then kick Buttnik's butt!"
Sonia nodded, "I hope so because Windemere never finished the story. Because it told of what happens when someone with a corrupted heart gets the emeralds."
"What?" asked Manic.
Sonia's eyes grew cold as she looked up, her voice but a whisper, "Chaos reigns."
"Whoa dude, that sounds ominous," Manic said.
"Eh, nothing we can't handle, right Tails?" Sonic said.
Tails' eyes widened,"...Yeah, nothing we can't handle..." He muttered.
"Or, we can always talk to your boyfriend/lover," Sonic said, winking at Manic as he reached into his quills.
Sonia looked confused, "Boyfriend? Who do you mean?"
"You know, he's red. Has dreadlocks, spikey things on his hands, glides, has a tendency to sound like that voice actor guy from the radio that likes to play Dungeons and Dragons," Manic said, pulling out a little puppet of one of her old boyfriends. Sonic followed suit.
Sonia looked confused, then she narrowed her eyes, "Oh no. There is nothing there between me and Knuckles!"
"Oh I get it..." Sonic moved over to his sister on the right side, pulling out the doll, playing with Bartelbly
Manic moved to the other side with his own doll of their friend Cyrus.
Sonia's opened wide in annoyance as she pushed the dolls away, causing Sonic and Manic to land on top of each other.
Turning her head to look at her brothers, she frowned and walked to take Tails by the hand, "Id you two boys are done seeing romance that isn't there. We are going to the Docolette building to see the competition before the ball tonight. Come along Tails."
Sonic and Manic, however, smirked as they put their chin onto their hands and continued to tease.
Sonic raced out and stood in front of Sonic, putting a finger onto her nose,
Manic rested on his sister's shoulders, bringing out a little Knuckles' plush that held a rose in his plushy hands,
With a growl of frustration, she pushed Sonic to the side and took the Knuckles plush in her hands. She then turned around to point an accusatory finger at them both.
Hearing this, Sonic and Manic happily leaned back to back, holding their hands to their chests as they motioned peopl in love
Sonia stamped her foot and walked away with Tails, muttering to herself as she walked. As she did, she ignored the fact that the plush was still in her hands.
As Sonia walked away, she saw a couple of animals walking in a park. A lemur and a wolf holding each other's hands as they walked through the fields. While a couple of bees floated in the air, holding each other's hands.
As Sonia walked away, her brothers followed, walking side by side as they ran and slid, teasing her all the while.
Sonic and Manic put their faces close up to her as they took turns singing the next lyrics.
Nonplussed, Sonia pushed her brothers away by their noses and stormed off.
No chance no way I won't say it, no no
Sonic and Manic walked along with Sonia, doing a call and return all they while they walked together.
Sonia, one last growl, walked away from her brothers. Then, when she was alone, took the Knuckles plush and looked at him with a warm smile. Then she took Tails by the shoulder and whispered.
Tails let a chuckle to himself, This'll be something interesting to tell Knux back home...
"Indeed," Nicole said, stepping from the portal, dressed in what one could only call 60s chic."
"There you are!" Tails whispered.
"MY apologies, but the moment I found the type of world you were in, I had to dress up," Nicole said. "Do I look groovy?"
"... Yes."
Nicole smiled and clapped her hands happily, "According to Z, you are supposed to," she looked back at he palm pilot and raised an eyebrow, "Inspire?"
"Oh, thanks Z!" Tails said,"That's so informative!"
"She has written a sarcastic quip, would you like me to read it back?" asked Nicole.
"Go ahead..." Tails sighed.
"Oh you are so welcome."
Tails let out a sigh.
"You talking to someone little bro?" Asked Sonic.
"My AI that lives in my head." Tails said.
Manic smiled, "Ok, that is so totally cool."
"I know." Tails said.
"So, I wonder what is our competition," Sonic said, walking into the small conference hall. Within there were several different bands of different animals all talking and conversing. He paused for a second to say, "And there is someone there who has stolen Maniac's look."
Manic looked at the green hedgehog, "Wait, what? Dude, I'm the only green one around here.
"Oh no!" Tails screamed,"That's Sonic's evil self from another universe, Scourge! That means Fiona and Starline are somewhere nearby!"
Starline drank some tea next to them,"Yep."
"... Is that evil tea?" asked Sonic.
Starline scoffed,"Please. Darjeeling."
"Still evil compared to green tea," Sonia remarked.
"To each their own," Starline said with a shrug.
"What are you doing here!?" Tails asked.
"Entering the competition."
"..." Tails crossed his arms,"No. Seriously."
"That's it. Just showing these fools my magnificent singing voice!" Starline shouted.
Scourge nodded in a depressed manner, before walking to Tails. He leaned in and whispered in the little fox's ear, "If you promise to kill me now, I'll... fix that damn teddy bear for you."
Tails blinked, before looking at him. He seemed to almost consider it for a moment.
"I don't wanna sing! HELP ME!" Scourge said, before being dragged away by Fiona.
Fiona winked, "Don't worry, this will be torture for the both of us. I can't sing, he can't dance."
Tails snickered,"I'm actually going to enjoy this."
Scourge could only flip Tails off as he was carried away.
Sonia looked around the hall, watching the various bands mingle and talk. For a moment, she was a little lost in all of the voices and people enjoying themselves, "Hard to think that there are so many bands in Mobius, waiting."
"Well when Robotnik makes something good illegal," Manic said, "You kind of need a way to express it. Isn't that one of the big things we're fighting for? To make sure we can live without having to pay for it?"
"Yeah," Sonic said with a chuckle. "Well, time to mingle. Some of these bands I always wanted to meet."
"Do ya know any of them bro?" asked Manic.
"A few," Sonic said. "First, I'm surprised the Equestria girls aren't here."
"Those pony girls? Yeah probably busy on another island," Said Manic.
A small group of animals stood to the side, mumbling to each other, "Nirvana."
A group of Linxes stood with sad looks on their faces, "Linxen Park."
A lady emu walked by "Emuessence"
A lady bat flew by with her band, "Nightwish."
"Dragonforce," Dulcy waved hi as she stood with her band.
"Apeba" A bunch of Swedish apes danced with each other
A blue jay started to hum Rockin Robin to himself, "Blue Day."
Another group of dragons laid back, thinking of their song "Imagine Dragons."
A cat, A dragon with a long tongue, an owl, and a love bird, "Kiss"
A bunch of thuggish leopards played with their bones, "Bone Thugs 'n' Harmony."
A walrus started reading a book of love "Peter Gaberiel."
A seal sang next to a rose, "Seal."
A group of turtles hummed T.U,R,T,L, E power "The Turtles."
A group of Bees floated by, "The Bee Gees." followed by a little bee with hair "And their little brother."
An elk with big frizzy hair walked by "Cher."
That was when the music stopped as three sea horses walked in
Tails watched the sea horses in awe for a second
As the sultry girls began to sing, ready to put everyone under their control, a shark's hand stopped them. The light blue one groaned, "Aw, we were just having a little fun!"
The shark frowned,"None of that. Remember your parole?"
"Oh, come on Razor. We are only showing them our," the eldest of the trio leaned over to Razor and pushed up her talent, "Talents."
The pink one rolled her eyes, "Adagio, there might be a problem with trying to seduce him."
"OH! I know," the light blue one said with a big smile, "He likes the booty more than what's on top?"
"You could say that Sonata," the middle child said, "Let's say, he doesn't enjoy tacos."
"Aria... how can you not enjoy tacos? They are crunchy, full of meat, and tasty!" Sonata giggled.
Adagio blinked and then looked back at Razor, "No..."
Razor simply glared at them,"No."
"Not even a little?" asked Adagio.
"No."
"You're a jerk," Adagio grumbled.
Razor shook his head,"No, just responsible."
A little manta ray came up to him,"Razor, Sonic Underground is here, can I go get their autographs!?"
"Yes, you may, Pearly," Razor said.
Manic looked at the little manta ray girl as she walked up, "Oh hey little dudette, need an autograph?"
Pearly nodded.
Manic, Sonic, and Sonia happily signed the little paper. As they did, Adagio sneered, "Darn, it's the Sonic Underground."
"OH! Really!?" squealed Sonata, "Think we can get their autographs and see how they are doing? Oh, Raxzor, can we talk to them? I have all of their albums and fruit snacks and comic series and-"
Adagio face palmed, "Aria, handle the little sister will ya?"
Aria pulled out a taco.
"NOM!" Sonata was quickly drawn out of her stupidity impulse to engage her favorite treat.
adagio frowned and growled, "If it was just these idioits we could win this easily but now..."
As the trio of siblings were talking, Sonia looked around at the various bands, "You know, not that I am surprised that we are popular with the rebels. But I can't help but notice that a lot of them are casting looks our way."
"Well, we are the biggest symbols of hope on the planet," Sonic said, holding a chili dog in one hand, "Of course we are popular."
"And the favorite to win," Manic said with a little snark.
Tails looked at the other bands,"They're probably hoping for a win"
Sonic could only chuckle at this before noticing Antoine talking to a bunny and then leaving her behind. Smiling at his brother, he nudged him and walked to the coyote. Sonia watched this and facepalmed, muttering to herself as she sat back to watch her brothers. Sonic was the first to stroll up, "So, who was the girl?"
Antoine looked at them,"Zat was mi bodyguard, Bunnie Rabbot."
"Oh, she's your 'body' guard," Sonic said with a smirk.
Manic nodded with a wink, "I bet you enjoy how she guards your body."
"Well, she does do a good job. That's why I keep her around." Antoine said.
"OH, I bet she does a good job," Manic laughed, "A real good job of guarding your body. Watching it, protecting it, keeping close on those long cold nights."
Sonic joined in, "And I bet you would give anything to guard her body as well."
Antoine blinked a few times,"I don't see why I would, she's perfectly capable of guarding herself."
"Oh, we know, but you know how it goes," Sonic said.
"... We guard each other?" Antoine said.
"Yeah, guard each other, hold each other," Manic said.
Sonic wagged his eyebrow, "Leaning into each other's arms and then-"
Antoine let out a,"Sacre Bleu! I do not zink of such a thing around her!"
"Right, got to ask her out first," Sonic snarked before being pushed away by Sonia.
"Excuse me, Antione, we need to get used to the town, be back later," Sonia said.
"Do zat!" Antoine scoffed, before looking longingly at Bunnie.
"HA!" Sonic mocked
Antoine stammered before going about his business.
Sonia pushed her brothers out a little bit to the sidelines, getting them together in a group, "Ok, so...who is the biggest challengers here?"
"Personally, I say those Siren girls," Sonic said, looking back at them, "They seem to want it the most and you saw how good they sang. Their whole world is like a performance."
"That faker!" Manic said, looking back at Scourge, "I don't trust him as far as I can throw him."
Sonia rolled her eyes at her younger brother's jealously, and then sighed, "I agree with Sonic. If anyone here is a challenge it's going to be those girls. We better be on our game."
"Right," Sonic said, before shrugging, "But, that's tomorrow's problem. We're in a free city, no Buttnik to worry about for a bit. I say we hit the town."
"Sonic," Sonia said, tapping her foot, "This is serious!"
"Look, we are the best is," Sonic said, turning to walk away. "We can beat Buttnik in a day, and we are like super popular. We can handle a bunch of evil songtresses."
Sonia raised a hand to object before Manic interrupted, "Yeah, I say the time's for us to finally relax and have fun with our lives. Let's enjoy a little of the city's life. I even heard that there's a ball later for you to enjoy."
"Well," Sonia said, running a finger through her hair, "It would be nice for us to just be like other people and not the big bad heroes."
"That's the spirit!" Sonic said, walking away and towards the door, "So, let's get out there and have some fun!"
Sonic brought out his guitar and started to play an upbeat track, making a quick choir ascent while Manic began to keep in step with his own sticks.
"WE should still come up with some plans and-" Sonia sighed and said, "Fine! Why not!"
Sonic smirked as he looked and winked at his sis.
Sonic sped up a little, and then ran to a guardrail, sliding down it while Manic began to sing a little. As he did, he moved between various animals, sneaking their wallets and looking for places to steal.
Manic and Sonic ran together, running along the walls and making music with various objects.
"I swear you boys never grew up!" Sonia shouted before walking away.
Sonic threw a few mobiums to a sunglasses seller and put them onto his eyes.
Manic and Sonic began to sing together, dancing to the rhythm of their own beat, while attracting a few groupies here and there.
"Meet up back at the van in a few?" asked Manic.
"Ya know it bro," Sonic said, fist bumpin' his little brother and juicing away.
Tails looked around,"Well, I could fly around town for a bit. See what everyone else is doing..."
A yellow blur ran into Manic as he walked down the street.
"Ooof!" Manic said as he hit the ground. Shakin his head, he got up slowly, "Hey, slow down man. You don't need to go so fast."
"Oh, " A female voice said as she got up,"I'm sorry, I didn't see you there."
Manic shrugged as he looked, "No big, I have a tendacy to..." he paused, getting a good look at the girl.
She was a yellow mongoose with pink hair dressed in black leather. She had on a hood,"You okay?"
"Uh...yeah," Manic said, playing with his green quills for a moment as he stood up. "So, what's the name and what's with the hoodie?"
"I'm Mina, and I'm trying to hide from my worrywart of a manager..." Mina muttered,"You're... Manic?"
"I am?" Manic asked, and then looked at himself, "Oh yeah man, I am. The drummer and the little triplet. I didn't think I was so noticeable."
"Well, you are part of Sonic Underground, and you're like, one of two green hedgehogs I saw in there," Mina said with a smile.
"Yeah," Manic said, mumbling a little under his breath about Scourge. Leaning against the pole, he changed the subject, "What was this about a worrywart manager?"
Mina sighed as she looked down at the ground,"My manager thinks it's too dangerous for me to be by myself around here."
"He's serious? Dangerous? This town?" asked Manic. "Robuttnik doesn't even touch this place and he thinks this place is dangerous?"
"He's worried that Dr. Robotnik will change his mind or something." She leaned back with a sigh,"He's always been like this."
"A worrywart or a wimp?" asked Manic.
Mina smiled,"Both."
"Ah, I get it," Manic said, "And he just won the lottery to be your manager?"
"Basically. I don't know what I saw in him." Mina sighed
Manic's eyes shot up, "Wait...were you ad he..."
"For like, two months, then we broke up." Mina said.
Manic nodded, before looking back at her, "So, now you are just enjoying the sights of the city?"
"Yeah..." Mina smiled at him.
"Well then, let me take you to the bad places!" Manic said, grabbing Mina by the hand, "After all, I am a criminal, and I need to get to stealing."
"Oh, okay!" Mina smiled as she ran with him.
Manic had a happy smile on his face as he ran with Mina through the streets. Occasionally, he would hold her hood for her as a blue blur would pass them by, trying his best not to be annoyed with his older brother. Looking back at Mina, he walked with her to a small little park. With a chuckle, he walked with her through the small walkway, passing by various animals. Mina would take in the sights, looking at the trees and flowers, while not seeing as Manic would lightly push into people and walk away with a few mobiums richer. Seeing him out of the corner of her eye, she lightly took his hand into hers.
Blushing at this, Manic asked, "So, what inspired you to be a singer?"
Mina looked at Manic,"You."
"Me?" MAnic asked, leaning back against a bridge.
"I mean, you go up there and you're constantly risking your lives to sing." Mina smiled,"That's inspiring.
Manic couldn't help but chuckle at this, "Me? Nah. Sonic and Sonia are the ones who do most of the work, I'm just the third wheel. The drummer who plays to the beat."
Mina frowned,"Hey, there's nothing wrong with being the drummer! My drummer, Mach, is pretty cool."
"Yeah, but Sonia and Sonic get all of the cool stuff. Sonia's got the brains and Sonic is the fastest thing I've seen in my life," Manic pulled out his drumstick and twirled it on a finger, "Not exactly the same as being a drummer to a cool girl."
"Well, you've got good hands." Mina smiled.
"Yeah, the best," Manic said, "Why I still love being a thief," he then handed her a little flower, "So, uh, don't walk by the flower vendor over there. Like, ever again."
Mina giggled,"Okay, I'll keep that in mind." She took a sniff.
"So, no hard feelings if we win?" Manic said, "I mean, I don't know if we are but if we end up-"
Mina put a finger to his lips,"I just want to have fun, I don't care about winning."
Manic stood there, and smiled, looking into her warm eyes. Then he took her hand, "Hey, you wanna know something? I kind of just like having the fun of it all too. Mind if I tell ya something I don't tell my sibs?"
Mina blinked,"Sure."
"I sometimes feel a little," Manic paused, trying to think of the right words, "Overwhelmed about this. I mean, don't get me wrong, I love this job. Inspiring people like you, helping others? Great. And I love my sibs, spending all of these three years with them has been a dream but..." for a moment he looked to an older man walking with his son, pickpocketing.
"I sometimes miss the quieter times," Manic said, looking down, "Sonia's the brains, and Sonic feels like he was born into the hero life. Bet ya anything that he was kicking bully ass when he was a toddler, but me? I kind of want to go back to just a simpler time and just be a thief/drummer."
"Heh," Mina smiled,"Maybe the simple life does seem to be better for you."
"Hey, I'm a simple hog with simple needs," Manic said, "Kind of like how you love living both the superstar life and just having fun."
"So we are compatible!" Mina said.
"C-compatible?" squeaked Manic.
Mina winked.
Manic began to mumble and stutter, unable to find his voice.
Mina giggled,"I'll see you later." She turned and sped off.
Manic stood there, stunned, unable to move for the longest time.
The smell of chili dogs entered Sonic's nostrils. The smoke became a pair of fingers, wafting over to his nose. Tantelizingly, it began to rub under his nose, caressing it, and then leading him on. Turning around, he began to follow the smoke trail with a dazed look in his eye as he floated along the ground toward his love.
There was a small shop titled,"Alicia's Chili Dog Shop."
A squirrel with a mustache was working the counter.
"Five chili dogs with extra chili and some ketchup!" Sonic said, sitting in front as the whispy hand disappeared.
The squirrel smiled,"Five huh? someone's feeling hungry! I'll fix them up real quick!"
"Eh, what can I say, I need a light snack," Sonic said with a smirk.
"A big eater, are we?" A female chipmunk said next to him.
Sonic nodded, "Live fast, move fast, eat faaaaaaaaaa," he paused, getting a good look at the girl who stepped next to him. Shaking his head, he pushed back his quills and said, "Sonic, and you are?"
The girl held out her hand with a smile,"Sally. My dad runs this place."
"He does? That's awesome," Sonic said, leaning back and laying his elbow on the counter, "Been working here long?"
"Practically since I was born." Sally did the same thing while holding a milkshake.
"Must be nice, living so close to free food and some free drinks," Sonic said.
"Yeah, but I still had to do work when I hit 18." Sally said.
"I never said you had to!" Her dad said from the kitchen.
"Well, I wanted to. Our business kinda slowed after my brother got married..."
"Went off on his own huh?" Sonic said, smirking, "Sounds fun."
"Well he still works here from time to time, it's just that we have fewer female customers..." Sally chuckled.
Sonic raised an eyebrow, "Aw come on, that can't be true. Everyone loves a good chili dog."
Sally giggled,"You got that right."
Sonic couldn't help but smile, "That was cute."
"My giggle or your smile?" Sally winked.
"What do you think?" asked Sonic.
Sally leaned in,"I think you're a bit of a charmer, but it'll take more than that to charm me."
"Ahem." Mr. Acorn said, putting a plate of chili dogs near Sonic.
"Oh?" Sonic asked, "You think I'm a good charmer eh?"
"I mean, you do try real hard." Sally said.
Sonic paused for a second at that.
Sally smirked as she leaped off the barstool.
"Did...did she call me a try-hard?" asked Sonic as he flipped two chili dogs into the air and munched them at once.
Nigel leaned on his palm,"Trust me, her mother was the same way."
"Her mom? Must have been a handful,"Sonic said, before taking a good look at Nigel's face, "You know, you remind me of this old statue I saw once in a picture."
Nigel frowned,"I get that a lot."
"What was the deal with that guy anyway? I think Sonia said something about it when we looked but-"
Sonia put her hands on her hips and had a big frown, while wearing a t-shirt that said 'annoying sister' "Boring Boring Boring, nag nag nag. Sonic listen. I'm talking and preventing you from racing out, so how about you run off and leave me alone."
"I forgot," Sonic said
Nigel looked away,"He was a coward. Nothing more."
"Ran away from a fight?" Sonic asked.
"... You could say that." Nigel said.
Sonic sighed and leaned back, "Hey if he had his reasons..."
"No reason is good enough." Nigel whispered.
"Sure there is," Sonic said, "Protecting someone, wanting to feel safe, or if you feel ike you can't handle it."
"..." Nigel put the check in front of Sonic, putting on a smile,"Maybe you're right!"
"Hey, live free and wild, that's how I love to do things," Sonic said, "and..." he looked at the check, "How much again?"
"10 Mobiums."
Sonic reached into his backpack and gasped. With a chuckle, he said, "Give me like, five seconds." before throwing the check into the air, "I'll be back before this hits the counter."
"Will-" Nigel was about to ask.
The second that the words left Nigel's mouth, Sonic was already off the counter. The world seemed to slow down as he took off in a fast blue blur through the city, down the park (where he noticed that Manic was with a mongoose), and through the streets of the city. As he ran, he thought he saw Sonia and Knuckles talking to each other, and he smirked, wanting to push her into his embrace. Turning around he managed to make it to the van, where he picked up Sonia's wallet and took out 10 bucks. Writing down an apology, he raced back to the stand where he put the ten onto the counter as the bill finally hit the counter.
"-you?" Nigel stared at the ten mobiums,"Huh."
Sonic smirked as he said, "Yes, yes I will. Good luck with the shop pops! I'll definitely be back later!" he said as he took off, leaving a gust of wind behind.
It took only a few minutes of racing around the city at the speed of sound before Sonic found a small little hill to pause. Taking a deep breath, he said to himself, "Man, it's been so long since I smelled fresh air I almost forgot what it was like." he spun around in a circle for a brief moment before he landed on his back and laughed a little.
"Total, absolute freedom. With the wind at my side and the fresh air around me," Sonic said, looking back up at the blue sky, watching as some of the flowers around him floated. One little flower petal landed on his nose as he began to remember how the old man talked.
"Had to back away from it. Run"
"Yeah, fine for the king, but not for me. I'm going to see this through and save Mobius with my sibs!" Sonic said, thrusting his fist in the air. Opening his fist for a moment, he closed it again before asking, "And then..."
"And then..."
Sonic stood on the council with his mother and siblings, listening to the people talk. And utterly bored out of his mind.
"Be bored? Just sit around listening to other people's problems?" Sonic shook his head, "Nah. I would be running out the door the first second I got." he then sighed as he just laid back to listen to the wind.
Knuckles glided down to Station Square, searching for a hint of pink. And maybe the other two colors as well.
Sonia sat by the fountain, running her hand through the water. A little smileon her lips as she began to think about her brothers, "You know, if Robotnik hadn't been so dumb. I would never have met my brothers."
Knuckles landed behind her,"Sonia!"
Sonia looked up at the sound of her name and smiled happily when she saw the echidna gliding in. With a smile, she said, "Knuckles! I'm glad to see you!"
Knuckles stared at her,"Uh," What was I thinking again? He pulled out some flowers," Rose?"
Sonia let out a gasp of happiness, smiling as she took the rose, "AW, thank you. Did you glide all the way here to give me one?"
"Well, I, uh," Knuckles thought,Damn it, what was I gonna tell her!?
"Well it's still very sweet," Sonia smiled and put the rose in her hair. Then she looked at him, "Oh, Knuckles! I need a favor from you." she said, holding his hands.
"Yes?" Knuckles asked.
"Listen," Sonia said, looking away a little, "There is this ball to finish the opening celebrations for the music festival. I need a date and I need you to be mine. Will you accept?"
Knuckles looked away,"A d-d-dance? I don't know..."
Sonia smiled, "Thank you. This means so much to me!" she said, giving Knuckles a quick kiss on the cheek before running away. Knuckles, on the other hand, could only stand there dumbfounded and looking like a fool.
As she ran back, she paused and leaned back against a wall, "I...Did I just do that?" Sonia asked with a laugh and looked up, "Did I just ask Knuckles on a date."
"Yeah," Sonia said, looking down at her necklace, "I did. So unladylike."
"Now Sonia, a lady must be-" Lady Windemire said, looking at the book.
"Poised, refined, and dainty," Sonia said, balancing on top of a pile of books with one hand.
Windemire frowned, "And that does not include balancing on a pile of books and endangering yourself."
"What?" Sonia asked with a gasp as she backflipped off the stacks and then back onto her feet, "How did you-"
"I am your mother," Windemire said with a smile as she closed her book, "I know."
"That's a lie and you know it," Sonia argued with her arms crossed.
"And a lady does not talk back to her mother," Windemire said with a laugh.
Sonia let go of her pendant and said, "And a lady usually lets a guy come to her when its comes to time to dance. She does not go to him and yadda yadda." she said, waving her hand dismissively before shaking her head, "And I think I probably broke every rule she ever taught me about being a lady."
"Come on sis!" Sonic said in her memories.
"Don't be such a stuck-up," Manic said.
"Ever since I met them," Sonia said, closing her eyes, "I've become less and less of the lady that she wanted me to be. I wonder, did mom ever think I was going to be the lady of our little team, or was she thinking that I was a little rebel too." pulling herself away from the wall for a moment, she realized that she was in front of a boutique. With a smile, she took a moment to admire the dresses inside.
Against the window, she stood in front of an elegant pink dress, one that looked like it was made for a ball. She stood in front of another dress, looking like she was ready for an elegant night on the town. Then she stood in front of a little more risque dress and paused. For a second, she looked at it, thought about it, and then laughed, "Mom would kill me."
"No one should be killed for wearing a dress they like," said a female voice from the entrance.
"Huh?" asked Sonia as she turned to see a yellow cat wearing a little red dress. "Oh sorry, I didn't mean to loiter."
"Nonsense," the cat said, puffing up her black hair in pigtails as she took Sonia's hand, "Every girl should be allowed to check out Honey's dress works! After all, if you don't look sweet, you aren't wearing honey."
"Wait I-" Sonia could barely get a word out before being taken into the shop.
Elsewhere, a green duck began to draw onto Knuckles' face, "See. A total statue!"
"O-o-h," a little yellow flying squirrel said. "But, he sounds like he's breathing. Why do you think that he turned like that? W-w-w-witches? W-w-warlocks? Fairies?"
"Dates! Get yer Dates!" shouted two kangaroos.
"D-d-d-date!?" Knuckles leaped up out of his shoes before running off,"What should I wear!?"
The Duck looked at him, "Probably help if he could dance too."
As Knuckles ran off, his eyes began to get wider as the horror of the notion of being on a date would bring.
Knuckles paused as he also began to think of the other things he needed: Clothes, a corsage, and most importantly, dancing lessons!
Knuckles shook his head, "No, I can't let myself lose faith like this. I got to think through this and get ready. This is a big night. Where can I-" he gasped when he saw a store that was labeled "Dance and Suits. Lessons while we zoot you" With a big smile on his lips, he ran into the shop.
Purple eyes began to take in the various clothes, materials, and such. His mind began to reel at the various outfits, unable to decide which clothes to pick being the one who rarely wore clothes unless it was a ceremony or an important event.
The store owner stepped out, a sheep with a yellow top matching her little bell around her neck. The sheep put her hands together as she asked, "Can I help you sir?"
Lanolin gasped,
Oh you poor think needing to save face
You need help going on
Smiling and putting her hands down, she gave him a wink and said, "Don't worry, Mr. Echidna. I've helped many cases like this before, how long do we have?"
"Tonight." Knuckles gulped.
"Plenty of time!" Lanolin said, leading him to the dance floor.
Knuckles frowned as he hit the dance floor, feeling embarrassed as he tried to dance but failing hard. His feet tripping over himself as he sang.
Lanonlin could only wave her hand as he tried to dismiss himself. Smiling, she took his hand and began to move gently along the dance floor. Each step for Knuckles was like trying to learn to walk all over again. However, after a few moments, he found himself able to easily match her movements and keep pace. Smirking, he quickly nodded as he now felt more confident in dancing. Lanolin then smiled as she led him to her dress room, as Knuckles began to sing while he was suited up.
Lanolin smiled as she pulled back the drapes to give Knuckles a look at himself.
Knuckles stepped out proudly, smiling as he looked at the world, ready to finish the song.
Tails flew over to a rooftop, overlooking the city as night began to fall,"This city looks good at night."
Nicole appeared next to Tails, dressed in bell bottoms with some gold chains, "It does."
"You're getting creative with your outfits." Tails smiled.
Nicole laughed a little as she twirled around a little, "I have been looking up music history and am trying different looks."
"I think I saw a picture of Uncle Chuck with those pants." Tails chuckled.
"That's where I found them," Nicole said, "He looked quite interesting."
"Doesn't Jules usually make fun of him for those pictures?"
Nicole blinked, paused, and asked "So, update on the status of who you think you need to inspire?"
Tails sighed,"No. I did see Ash looking for Mina. He can't catch a break in any universe..."
"Oh poor guy," Nicole said.
"Yeah, I'd hate to see them break up in our future..." Tails said.
Nicole nodded, "I'll try to continue to look for the person you need to inspire. How are you feeling about this world."
"It's nice." Tails smiled,"A little weird though, it's like every hour someone has to sing or something."
"You haven't..."
"Not yet..." Tails thought for a moment,"Though I did do a little humming..."
"I understand," Nicole said, "It is interesting to be in such a world dedicated to music."
Suddenly, from below in the streets, they could hear
They got the mustard out!
"OH, I am so hungry," a green Caranary said walking around, "I don't want to ruin my lunch before seeing Amy. Where can I get something quick to eat."
Diet Diet Deit Crepe
D-d-d-diet Crepe
Very Very Very Healthy
Super Diet Crepe.
"Awww, Rob, honey what's wrong," Mari-on asked of her husband as he wept in front of his PS4. On the screen, a little blue man exploded in a flash of little bitty balls of light.
If only I had Item-2,
I'd be able to cross to the other side with ease,
"So I wouldn't blame you if you decided that this starry night, the sun isi setting, would encourage you to have a solo," Nicole said.
"Well, I don't know what to sing!"
"It's ok, computer ais don't know either.
"I figured you would have some MP3s in you." Tails.
Nicole looked at Tails, "Do you know how many mp3s I have had downloaded into me?"
"How many?"
"The entire Mina Mongoose library, several anime soundtracks," Nicole began to count off on her fingers, "Some leftover playlists that were not deleted by Robotnik, 1 album from the Chaotix's failed attempt to be a band, and a listing from a young fox called the "Captain-Super-fox man-the movie-the soundtrack." she looked at Tails, seeing his cringe.
Tails winced,"I made that a year ago, why do you still have it!?"
Nicole giggled, "Well, Sonic and Sally told me to keep it because they wanted to remember when you were a little kit. Antoine and Bunnie have said it's a fun list and something to show their little ones about their uncle Tails, and Rotor." subtly, Nicole tapped her fingers, "Told me that he wanted to keep it as revenge if you and I quote 'Ever take my favorite wrench again. and I like keeping it because of a track you picked for it."
"I only took his wrench one time..." Tails muttered.
Nicole nodded and sat down to look at the city skyline, lightly tapping her fingers. After a few minutes of tapping her fingers, she started to whistle a small little tune that started off slow, before picking up the beat. Tails started to recognize the beat and began to join in, humming before he started t sing,
Nicole giggled at Tails' change of lyrics and began to join in.
Feeling a little invigorated, Tails flew up into the air and danced a little.
Landing back on the ground, Tails started to continue his beat,
Nicole fired back, adding her own tone to the chorus.
Nicole and Tails started to sing together, feeling a little beat overtake them both.
Sonia stepped out of the clothing shop after being accosted by it's owner. With a smile and nod, she walked away with the dress in the box and began heading towards the van. Looking back at the park, she saw three little owl siblings playing with each other. For a brief moment, she saw her and her siblings in another world, playing without fear.
Shaking her head, she continued to walk. As she did, her mind began to think back to her old life. She could see herself walking and learning all of the ins and outs of being a lady. Of how to conduct herself in a court, and how to live life properly. It both excited her, and bored her as she now felt different being with her two brothers.
Manic walked by himself for a bit, playing with one of the coins in his hand. Looking around him, he could see some families and siblings playing with each other. A slow breath ecaped his lips as he thought back to ow much had changed with his siblings and how the world had changed for him.
"I wonder, would they be mad if I ever said no?" Manic asked himself as he walked home.
Sonic lay on top of the building, watching the sky turn a dark blue and slowly transition into night. As he did, he thought of his uncle, his adoptive parents and his birth mom. Laying back, he started to close his eyes and just think to himself. It seemed that in his life, he had one thing to trust in, was his two siblings.
Before he could fall asleep, he got up and ran down the side of a building in a blur, knowing he needed to head home.
Robotnik stepped through the inner workings of Robotroplis, smiling as he did. All around him the sounds of machines being made and the overwhelming inhumanity of metal on metal. For many, it was a dark sight to see many animals now turned into lifeless robots working tirelessly for a despot. Broken and lost, all the while any sight of nature had been all but eradicated from sight. And lord, did he love so, "Oh, I feel good today. I killed the Queen, gained three of the magical chaos emeralds, and my egg fleet is coming along nicely." he gave a slight maniacal chuckle as he watched his empire unfold.
"Sire, your new A.I is ready," said a chicken bot, bowing."
"Ah, good," Robotnik said, walking to is chair, "Sage, report. What is the rest of the schedule for the evening?"
"At 12:00, you are to make an evil speech to your robots. At 2:00 you are to have a meeting with the remaining nobles." A little girl's voice said.
"Oh, do I have time for an evil chortle?"
"Your after-lunch chortle, or pre-bedtime chortle?"
"Pre-bedtime chortle. Lunch is for menachial laughter," Robotnik mused.
"Of course." Sage said.
"Oh, and don't forget to assign a time for maniacal laughter as I sit over my new kingdom in two days," Robotnik said.
"Yes sir."
Pressing a button on his console, he said, "Attention Robotic slaves, I have an announcement!"
All around Mobius, robot slaves began to pause and listen to the voice in their heads.
"What's he doing?" asked a fox/
"Oh you know son, lord Robotnik's robots have this tendacy to do nothing but sit around and listen. It's what they get for being poor and robotized."
"Hey Robot, move your ass. I gave you a command to clean my coffee table!" A cat whined, "I swear, Robotnik is picking the worst people to be robotized. Maybe if they were born into money such as moi."
What they could not hear, was Robotnik's message, "For too long now, we have allowed the nobles and the rich of this world a piece of happiness. Freedom that they did not deserve because of circumstances and money. And for too long I have let them harbor possible rebels to my reign. Well that all stops now!"
Robotnik began to walk around, adding flourishes to his movements in spite of no one being there to watch him. All he cared for was his own showmanship, "As of right now, we are too days away from my GREATEST ACHIEMENT! The grand Eggfleet Armada of the empire!"
The robots merely glowed their eyes red, as if to applaud their overlord.
"Once this all done and settled, this grand fleet will take flight over the world and obliterate any free city left. As they do, they will launch little carriers containing my personalized Swatbots." behind Robotnik, grey robots with guns began to line up and march toward the waiting fleet. "There they will find any and all animals that are wondering about and robotize them, providing a new force for me to enslave."
Some of the robots seemed to lower their heads, as if crying but unable to call out.
"Of course, I will leave enought to procreate and give me some animals to do battle with. After all, even I need my challenge and people to lord over. One does not become a despot without having people to despot over after all. ALL GLORY TO THE EGGMAN EMPIRE!"
The robots said nothing, just glowing their eyes red.
Aleena sighed as she ran her hand along her children's heads. Each one seemed to be sleeping peacefully in their little color-coordinated bassinet. A warm smile crept along her face as she saw little Sonic run in his sleep while Manic seemed to drum out a beat. Her admiration of her children vanished when a glowing orb appeared before her, "Queen Aleena. You must listen o me."
"The Oracle?" asked Aleena to herself as she listened.
"You must split up your children, separate them to three parents you trust for them. This allows them to be trained in the skills they need for their day destiny. For then you will reunite to become the council of four and overthrow Robotnik." The oracle said.
"Then what am I going to do in the meantime?" asked Aleena.
"That you will know in time!" the Oracle said.
"That's not an answer you long nose...ant...creature..." Aleena paused for a moment before shouting, "WHAT THE HECK ARE YOU ANYWAY!"
Years passed by in her dreams, she watched her children grow from afar, always monitoring them and making sure they were ok. She watched and sighed, wishing she could be a part of their lives.
"Your Highness, what are you doing? This quest it's-"
"I have had enough!" the Queen said, "You keep telling me to wait until the time is right this and that, and what has happened? Nothing! You keep telling me to wait, well I am done. It's time we reunited and I am getting the only items capable to do it."
"But no one has found the chaos emeralds. You are-"
Aleena paused as she got her bad, "Oh, and what is this?" she then showed a video of the Oracle in Robotnik's room, telling him of the prophecy.
"That? Well, I believed that if he knew he would be-"
"I don't think you were thinking," Queen Aleena said, walking out the door.
Queen Aleena woke up with a gasp and looked into a pair of little brown eyes. "What on earth?"
"Mommy!" the little bunny said, "She's waking up!" before hopping away most adorably.
A taller bunny walked over to her,"Oh, I'm so glad you woke up!"
Alleena sat up in bed and looked to the taller rabbit, "Who are you, how did I get here?"
"Big brought you. He carried you to us and then momma saved you. She fixed the big owies and the small ones," the little one smiled and waved. "I helped a lot, right, Cheese?"
"Chao chao!" the little blue fairy nodded before flying in a circle.
The bunny woman smiled,"You're quite resilient! If Big hadn't found you, you'd be dead!" she bowed"I am Vanilla, and this is my little girl, Cream."
"Thank you for saving me," Aleena said, about to move out of bed, "Now I need to-"
"No," Cream said standing in front of her.
"Why?"
"Because Mama said no," Cream said.
"Young lady I am your Queen and-"
"Momma always said, that if I had a choice to obey her or the queen, I should obey Momma," Cream said, lightly tapping her foot.
"Well," Aleena paused and then sighed, "Your daughter is well-mannered."
"Yes, and she is right. You are staying here until you get better." Vanilla nodded.
Aleena was about to use her Queen privilege, and remind her who was the ruler. Then she looked at the mother, and then to the daughter, and sighed. She couldn't hurt the little bunny's belief in her mother. So instead, "Fine, but may I meet my savior?"
Vanilla nodded,"Big, The pretty lady wants to see you!"
"Oh, the pretty lady wants to see me? She is ok?" asked a large big purple cat that enteredthe building.
Aleena looked up at the cat,"Well... can't say he doesn't live up to his name."
Vanilla giggled, "Yes, his mother named him well when he was born."
"Are you ok, pretty lady?" asked Big. "You looked really hurt."
"Well, other than a mild pain in my back, I'm fine." Aleena smiled.
"Yay!" Big clapped his hands.
Vanilla looked at Aleena, "Now, you stay there and get some rest, understand?"
Aleena sighed. This wasn't a battle she could win at the moment,"Alright."
"And Cream will make sure you don't with her cuteness," Vanilla said, patting her daughter on the head.
Cream smiled and saluted, "Don't worry mama! Mew Cream will be here!"
"Chao chao!" Cheese said in return with a big smile.
Aleena smiled warmly to herself as she watched the interactions between mother and daughter. Looking down at her neck she pulled out a necklace that was in the shape of a microphone. Inlaid in the microphone were three little gems: Pink, Green, and Blue. Taking a look back up at the two, she began to sing softly,
Cream and Vanilla left the room, leaving Aleena to her memories. In her mind, she could remember the midwife who handed her her three babies, the first time she held all three in her arms, and how each already seemed to be ready to face the world. In her head, she saw herself laying the triplets in their crib and then handing them to people she trusted. Forced to forever watch them grow from a distance.
Wiping a tear from her eye as she thought about how the triplets were forced to grow apart, growing into young teens capable of doing so much. She could remember cheering at each triumph, crying at each failure, and praying when she couldn't find them. Only hoping that their bond had saved them.
For a moment, she saw a different future, a different time. OF them growing up away from the tyranny of Robotnik. Of her holding a small court with Sonia as she sits thinking of other things beyond the palace walls. Of a Manic who would be ready to come up with new ways to make his siblings happy. While the crown prince Sonic would travel the world, finding new dragons to fight. How they would mature into adults and ready to leave their nest.
She sighed, thinking of the future. Of her being an old queen, sitting alone in the throne room. Only for her children to arrive with their own families. The trio having won the war against Robotnik and finding happiness elsewhere. However, their bond never letting them forget their home, their family, and their mother.
Laying back onto the bed, she looked up at the ceiling, "My children...I pray to the Ancient Walkers that you three are safe. The next few days may prove to be your greatest challenge. Just know, no matter where you are, what you do, I am with you..."
Off-Topic: Forgetfulness:
Fleetway!Sonic grumbled,"Can't believe the author forgot to put in an off-topic section in the previous chapter!
Rick stopped typing,"Hey, I'm only human! Besides, this next section's going to be pretty long..."