-Chapter 243-
Magnificent Sonic
Tranquil Gulch
The team warped into town, looking around to see it was a basic Western gulch, before suddenly feeling nauseous.
"Not again," Sonic let out woozily. "Seriously, since when is this a thing? This has literally never happened in the two years we've been using Warp Rings."
"Indeed…" Sally said as she rubbed her head. "It's most...concerning..."
"I feel queasy," Shard remarked. "Can robots get queasy? 'Cause that's how I feel."
"Okay, that doesn't make sense," Sonic deadpanned.
"It might have something to do with the electrical disturbances Hope was talking about," Rotor realized.
"That would *bzzt* explain the readings I've *bzzt* been ge- *bzzt bzzt* getting," Nicole stammered, her hard light body glitching in and out.
"And I've got zero bars," Sam reported, holding up his phone.
"Nicole, why don't you sit this out for now?" Sally suggested.
"Ex-zzzz-cellent sugges-zzzzz-tion, Princesszzzzz."
As Nicole dematerialized, Hope got down to business, looking around before her eyes fell on the saloon.
"C'mon," she said. "If we're gonna get some info, that's the best place."
"Are we even allowed in there?" Sam pondered. "I mean... are any of us of drinking age?"
"Naw, it's just a name," Bunnie said, "They call all the lil' cafes and fast food joints saloons 'round these parts."
Some patrons walked out at that, looking at the Freedom Fighters, more specifically Shard, and giving them a wide berth.
"Yeesh, nothing like that southern hospitality," Sonic snarked.
"Yeah…" Shard began. "I'll just wait outside, keep an eye out."
"Alright. but be prepared to hit the dirt if a fight breaks out," Sonic decided.
"What makes you think there'll be a fight?" Rotor asked.
"In this kind of place? There's always a fight."
They entered the saloon, seeing a woman dancing on stage to a rapid-fire piano melody (1) as they did. As the door swung open, all eyes turned to them, the patrons all various tough guys.
"Ummm…" Antoine began, "bonjour?"
The various tough guys just stared at them; brows furrowed and teeth grit. Some even started fingering the blasters in their belt holsters.
"Hey! Knock it off, y'all!" The toughs froze as a Mobian possum slammed her hand on the bar. "Y'all know the rules! No fights and no scarin' the customers! This ain't no scum guild!"
Sufficiently chastised, the toughs all turned back to their business.
"Sorry 'bout that, folks," the possum said with a smile. "People 'round here get a lil' antsy 'round new faces. What with all the crazy goin' on lately."
"Not surprising," Sonic said.
"So what can I do for you kids? Can I get you anything? Milk? Root beer? The ginger ale with lemon is positively di-vine!" She blew a kiss for emphasis.
"Actually," Sally said as she approached the bar, "We'd like to ask you something. We're looking for somebody named Willie."
"Well, you're in luck." She pointed to herself.
Sonic blinked. "Wait, you're Willie?"
He looked over the possum. She had gray fur and blonde hair tied back in a ponytail with a pink ribbon and brown eyes, dressed in a red knee-length dress with a pink hemline, black leggings, and red heels.
"Wilhelmina Possum," Willie replied with a curtsy, "And you sir, must be Sonic the Hedgehog."
"That's me," Sonic replied. "And these are my friends Sally, Rotor, Hope, Sam, Cosmo, Bunnie, and Antoine."
"A pleasure to make your acquaintance, Mademoiselle Bosom...er, Possum!" Antoine stammered, his face red and eyes wandering.
Bunnie facepalmed. "Smooth, Ant. Real smooth."
"It's alright, hun. I've heard worse," Willie assured, before her gaze turned somewhat dark, "Much, much worse."
Willie shook her head for a moment before returning her attention to her guests; specifically Bunnie. "Say," she leaned in closer, "You look familiar. You wouldn't happen to be acquainted with Lulumae Cotton by any chance?"
"She's my aunt," Bunnie replied, "She's actually the one who sent us to find you."
"You're Lu's girl!?" Willie pulled Bunnie into a hug, practically dragging her across the bar, "Oh my goodness, I thought I recognized you!"
"You know Bunnie's aunt?" Cosmo asked.
"Course!" Willie set Bunnie down, "Lu and I used to work together. She was practically my sister! Ahhh, the trouble we used to get into…" She smiled fondly for a moment before shaking her head again, "But you didn't come here to listen to some ol' marsupial ramble on. So, what can Ol' Willie help you with?"
"We're looking for somebody," Sally explained.
"My uncle, Beauregard Rabbot," Bunnie added.
The pianist missed a key, the patrons whispering amongst themselves.
"Guessing he's popular around here," Sonic remarked.
"Understatement of the century!"
They turned to see a Mobian squirrel in a top hat and suit enter.
"And you are?" Cosmo asked.
"I'm Dennis Chestnut. The mayor of this here one-Pasha town."
"A pleasure, sir," Sally said. "I'm..."
"Princess Sally," the mayor said. "I know who you are. I don't know who doesn't. But what I don't know is why you all are lookin' fer that good fer nothin' bum, Beauregard."
"BUM?!" Bunnie scowled.
"Easy, chere," Antoine soothed.
"Mr. Mayor!" Willie admonished.
"Willie, you know darn well that Beauregard Rabbot's been nothin' but trouble since the day he set foot here!"
"He helped save the kingdom during the Great War!"
"Didn't stop ya from raisin' a fuss when he slapped a ring on Lu."
"Whoa, whoa, whoa!" Sonic shouted. "Time out! I find it very hard to believe a decorated war veteran like Beauregard Rabbot is anything like what you said. My dad and my uncle served alongside him. They've had nothing but good things to say about him. So what, if you don't mind me asking, makes him a troublemaking bum?"
"That." Dennis pointed to one of the walls with a large sign nailed to the top.
"Wall of Infamy?" Hope remarked.
"Showcase of all the folks banned from this establishment."
The wall was coveredwith several pictures of Mobians. All of them looked like trouble… and one was of a yellow rabbit in his early to mid 20s; the name Beauregard "Buckshot Bunny" Rabbot engraved on the plaque below.
"Uncle Beau?" Bunnie let out.
Willie let out a long sigh. "Ol' Buck was a bit of a hellraiser back in the day. Drove everyone in town up the wall."
"Sounds like he and I would get along just fine," Sonic remarked
"I dunno, Sonic…" Hope was looking over the wall. "Look at all this."
Sonic ran over. "'Beauregard Rabbot, banned for life for dine and dashing, starting fights, wrecking the piano, breaking glassware, breaking tables, and 15,000 Mobiums in unpaid gambling debts and bar tabs'?"
"Sacre bleu…" Antoine said.
"Oh right...that..." Bunnie rubbed the back of her head, sighing. "I mean, my uncle always had a chaotic streak. I just never thought it was this chaotic."
"You're Buckshot's niece!?" Dennis exclaimed.
"Eyup. Bunnie Rabbot. A pleasure to meet you, Mayor Chestnut, sir."
Dennis looked at Bunnie, appraising her.
"Well, you're certainly a lot more polite than ol' Buck, that's fer sure. Guess you take after your..." His gaze lingered on her arm and legs
"Ummm…" Bunnie began, "My eyes are up here, sir.
Dennis glanced up "You need to leave. Now."
Bunnie blinked. "Eh?"
"Trust me, your kind ain't gonna get much more than a rude greeting. The robot outside's bad enough, but you? Do yourself a favor and leave."
"I beg your pardon?" Antoine demanded.
"Mr. Mayor," Sally began, "I know that Bunnie's limbs make her seem… off-putting. But I assure you, she isn't part of the Empire."
"I know that," Dennis told them, a hint of dread in his voice, "But they don't care." He shook his head. "I-I'm sorry, we got off topic. Now, what is it y'all are havin' problems with? Has Beau done got himself into some kinda trouble again?"
-X-
Meanwhile, outside, Shard was leaning against the wall of the saloon, trying to look tough…emphasis on trying.
"Man...this stoic, brooding outlaw thing is harder than I thought," he muttered as his legs wobbled a bit, "How does Shadow do it?"
"The Dust Riders are comin'!"
Shard perked, looking to see a human girl riding in on a Mobian horse, who was running on all fours like his Mobini counterparts.
"What the heck?"
The horse stopped to catch his breath, panting.
"Why in Sam Hill do I keep lettin' you talk me into this?" he demanded.
"Rally, this is an emergency!" the girl said. "We gotta warn the townsfolk about the Dust Riders!"
"But do ya really need to use me as yer 'noble steed'?"
"Yer one of the fastest Mobians in all Wyldwest!"
"I'm not some Streaking Pasha!"
"Um, excuse me?"
Rally and Lily turned to see Shard approaching.
"Pardon the interruption, but are you in some sort of danger?"
"It's Metal Sonic!" Lily dramatically flipped off of Rally, drawing her guns.
"Whoa, whoa!" Shard shouted. "I'm not Metal!"
"Eat lead, tin-head!"
Lily began firing, Shard activating his White Shield to block the bullets.
"I'm not your enemy! I'm with the Freedom Fighters!" He turned slightly so the GUN symbol and the Kingdom of Acorn crest are visible on his arm. "See?"
Lily just shot at him again. "I may be a bumpkin, but I ain't no moron, metal man!"
"Please wait!" Shard yelled. "I'm not your enemy! What do I have to do to prove that?"
"Quit yer yappin and shut down!"
Lily rushed at Shard, drawing the wakizashi on her back as she did.
"A sword?" Shard let out before dodging her strike.
-X-
"I see…" Mayor Chestnut scratched his chin nervously, "So, Beauregard's gone missin'?"
"Yessir," Bunnie replied, "He was s'posed to come back home after takin' care of some business down in Sand Blast City, but he never did. Aunt Lulu said that Willie might be able to help us find him, so we came here."
"Of course, dearie." Willie took Bunnie's hand, giving it a reassuring squeeze, "Anythin' fer Lu's lil' girl."
"I'll help out too," Dennis nodded as he adjusted his tie, "I may not care much fer ol' Buckshot, but I ain't about to leave him get picked off by Eggman and his metal men."
"Oh, thank you!"
"So, what's the plan?" Rotor asked, "Have either of you been to Sand Blast City before, because–"
A loud bang echoed through the saloon, cutting Rotor off.
'What the–!?"
"What in tarnation was that!?" Bunnie shouted.
"Out there!" Sally said, pointing toward the window; allowing everyone to see Shard's battle with Lily.
"Shard!" Sonic exclaimed, "Hang on, buddy!"
"Sonic, wait!" But the hedgehog had already raced off, "Darn it!"
-X-
Lily continued attempting to hack Shard to pieces, the Needlmouse bobbing and weaving as she repeatedly avoided her slashes.
"Look, we're really getting off on the wrong foot here!" Shard shouted as he sidestepped a low-to-high slice. Finally, Shard had had enough and caught the blade between two fingers, taking it away from her.
"Hey!" Lily shouted.
"I'm not trying to hurt you!" Shard pleaded, "Would you please calm down for one second so I can explain!?"
"Sure thing," Lily replied, causing Shard to sag in relief.
"Thank you!" the robo-hedgehog exclaimed, "Now–"
Before he could finish, Lily suddenly pulled out her revolver and unloaded it into Shard's chest, knocking him to the ground. The Needlemouse groaned as he clutched his head in pain. But before he could get up, he found himself staring down the barrel of Lily's revolver, the girl's eyes burning with rage.
"End of the line, Robo-Hog."
"Miss, please!" Shard pleaded, "I swear, I'm not–!"
"I told you to shut yer yap!" Lily snapped, "I've been waitin' almost two years fer this moment! It's time fer you to pay for what you did to Jesse, you damned, iron devil!" Lily pulled the trigger, only for the gun to click. "What the...?"
"Looking for something?"
Lily turned to see Sonic juggling a handful of bullets.
"Oh thank Aurora," Shard let out as he sagged into the dirt.
"You okay, Shard?" Sonic asked.
"I'm still online."
"Why did you stop me?!" Lily demanded.
"Because that's not Metal Sonic," Sonic said matter-of-factly. "The color and GUN logo is a dead giveaway."
"Sonic!"
The other Freedom Fighters raced out, followed by Willie and Dennis.
"Lily, you trigger-happy lunatic!" Willie shouted. "What in Sam Hill do you think you're doin'?!"
"I was savin' the town from one of Eggman's death machines!" Lily defended. "But then this blue sunnuvabitch swiped the bullets right out of my gun!"
"I'm not a Badnik…" Shard said. "I'm not even a Goodnik. I'm a GUN Needlemouse prototype."
"Shut yer trap, rustbucket!" Lily snapped. "Nobody's talkin' to you!"
Shard flinched.
"Hey, watch it," Sonic said. "That's our friend you're badmouthing."
"Friend?!" Lily shrieked. "Did you eat a bowl of stupid fer breakfast or are you blind!?"
"Protein bar, actually."
"Lily, settle down!" Rally cut in. "Think about it. If this robot really was one of Eggman's, I highly doubt it would just be sitting in the dirt while Sonic the frikken Hedgehog is right in front of it. Plus, he's spent this entire time trying to reason with you instead of, y'know, blowing you away with a plasma cannon right off the bat."
"That was...he's..."
"And if it was really Metal Sonic, would Sonic even bother to stop you from blowing his head off?
Lily winced slightly. "No..."
Rally rapped her on the forehead. "Ya got a brain in there, Lily. Use it."
Lily blushed, looking away.
"Sorry 'bout that, folks," Rally said. "Lily means well, but she's got a habit of jumpin' the gun."
"You're not the one who needs to apologize." Sonic turned to Lily. "You really hurt my friend."
"It's alright, Sonic," Shard got to his feet.
"Shard…" Sonic began.
"Hey, this is hardly the first time I've gotten flack for being a robot. I'm used to it."
Sonic shook his head. "Doesn't make it okay."
"A-Anyway...I s'pose we should introduce ourselves..." Rally cut in. "Name's Rally the Clydesdale. This lil' firecracker's Lily Hino."
Sonic gave a two-fingered salute. "Pleased to meet you."
Rally grinned. "Can I just say it's a real honor to meet you, Sonic? Isn't this the coolest thing, Lily?"
Lily just shrugged. "Meh."
That took the Freedom Fighters by surprise.
"Meh?" Sam repeated incredulously.
"Most people have a bit more to say then 'meh' when meeting Sonic the Hedgehog," Bunnie remarked.
"He don't look so tough to me," the cowgirl scoffed, "He doesn't even have a gun, for Aurora's sake!"
"Lily…" Rally began.
Sonic scoffed. "Personally, I wouldn't be caught dead using one of those things."
"Round here, that might be sooner than you think."
"Gal's got a point there!" a new voice chimed in."This here's the Wyldwest, after all! Never know what kind of wackos are out an' about."
Everyone turned to see a lone figure in a poncho walking up to them. He was somewhat stocky in build and spoke with a thick, gruff, Southern accent.
"Can I help you, sir?" Dennis asked.
"Name's Pete. I'm here to negotiate on behalf of the Robotnik Empire."
He raised his head to reveal a Badnik grinning evilly.
"The Empire?!" Cosmo exclaimed.
"Aww shit, I fergot!" Rally exclaimed. "The Dust Riders are coming!"
"Actually," the badnik interjected, "We're already here."
The group stiffened as a familiar laugh reached their ears. They turned ahead and saw a small figure approaching them, clad in a poncho and a white, ten-gallon hat nearly twice their height.
"Well, well, well, I didn't expect to see you all again so soon," the figure said, "I suppose it was only a matter of time though. You just can't help sticking your noses where it doesn't belong…you filthy rabble-rousers."
"Thunderbolt, hey," Sonic greeted. "Nice hat. Compensating for something, are we?"
"Cállate, alfiletero (2)!" Thunderbolt snapped. "That's Sheriff Thunderbolt to you."
"I highly doubt that," Sally deadpanned.
"Yeah, who in their right mind would make you Sheriff?" Rotor asked.
Thunderbolt snarled, but didn't blow her top.
"I'd watch my mouth if I were you, Your Majesty," the chinchilla spat, "I didn't come here to fight, but I can change that in a heartbeat," She grinned. "And I think we all know how that turned out the last time."
Sally and the others grimaced.
"What are you even doing here?" Hope asked, "I thought you were in charge of the Soumercan Egg Army."
"Oh, I'm just being a good, loyal soldier and helping my newest comrade in arms settle in," she explained, "Egg Armies don't just magically grow out of the ground, you know?"
The Freedom Fighters froze at that.
"So there is a new Egg Boss in town!" Sam said.
"Indeed! But that's not important right now," Thunderbolt said as she reached into her coat and pulled out a megaphone. "Attention, filthy, redneck morons! You are standing on Robotnik Empire property! In the name of our glorious and incomparable leader, we demand that you vacate the premises, immediately!"
"Yeah, we'll get on that right after-never," Sonic spat. "What exactly does Eggman want with this place?"
"First off, you will address him as Dr. Robotnik, boy. Second, if you must know, you're standing on the future sight of his latest money-making venture." Thunderbolt reached into her coat, pulling out a garishly colored poster of what amounted to a Western-themed Casino Night Club. The top of the poster screamed "Gambler's Gulch- Coming Soon!"
"Gambler's Gulch, the biggest casino/amusement park on Mobius! With ninety-nine percent of the profits skimmed off the top for the Master, of course."
"Of course..." Sonic rolled his eyes.
"Another get rich scheme," Rotor remarked. "Not even surprised…"
"Quiet, fat seal!" Thunderbolt snapped before turning to Dennis. "You, Mayor Chestnut! I'm a reasonable rodent. You have exactly seventeen minutes to hand over the deed to Tranquil Gulch and haul your carcass off of the premises. If you don't, well…" She turned to Pete. "Pete?"
"With pleasure, ma'am." Suddenly, Pete drew a blaster and fired. The laser started bouncing off everything.
"Get down!" Antoine shouted.
Shard quickly activated his White Shield. Antoine raised his sword to try and deflect the blast.
"What in tarnation!?" Dennis screamed.
"Damn, it's bouncing all over the place!" Sally cried.
"Can lasers even do that!?" Rotor demanded.
"Damn, this is bad!" Sonic let out. "We gotta..."
"YEOWCH!"
They turned to see Rally clutching his shoulder, having shielded Lily from the blast.
"Rally!" Lily screamed.
"Whoops!" Pete cackled. "Sorry 'bout that, hoss! I was aimin' fer the brat in the purple!"
Thunderbolt shrugged. "Eh, it works."
"Heartless bastard…" Hope spat.
"Classic Thunderbolt," Sam muttered.
Lily scowled, whirling on Thunderbolt.
"Here's our counter-offer, pipsqueak. You take your glorified washing machines and get the hell out of our town…" she drew her gun, "and I don't blow your furry carcass right out from under your hat!"
"Lily, stop!" Rally cried.
"No!" Lily snapped. "I ain't lettin' this stinkin' Rikachu and her fat-ass boss have their way!"
"Rikachu?!" Thunderbolt shrieked.
Lily fired off a shot, but missed. Before she could fire again, the gun was shot out of her hand. Pete smugly twirled a second gun.
"Thank you, Pete," Thunderbolt turned to the group. "Listen you, I'm trying to be reasonable here. Hand over the deed and walk away. You'll save yourself a lot of pain and humiliation if you take the deal, Sonic. You know you can't take me. You know you can't stop me."
Sonic's fists clenched. He sparked angrily, a black tinge to his lightning.
"You wanna bet?" he growled.
Thunderbolt smirked. "Pete?"
Pete prepared to fire again. Sonic prepared to make a move. But before either could act, Lily snapped her fingers, causing a loud popping noise to go off behind Thunderbolt and Pete, startling them.
"What the…!?" the Badnik and Egg Boss shouted.
Suddenly, Lily charged at Thunderbolt and Pete, grabbing her sword.
"Take THIS!" She slashed, running past the two Egg Soldiers. They seemed unharmed.
"What...What just happened?" Thunderbolt asked.
"Not sure. I…" Suddenly, Pete's arms fell off, along with half of Thunderbolt's hat. "What the!?"
"My hat!"
Lily sheathed her sword, smirking. "Ninja cowgirl, bitch! Courtesy of my daddy!"
"Why you…" Thunderbolt growled, sparking.
"Last chance, Thunderdolt," Lily warned, "Get the hell outta Tranquil Gulch and stay out! The same goes for your new Dust Rider buddies!"
Thunderbolt snarled. "Pete!"
"Ma'am?"
"They've made their decision. Kill them all!"
"With pleasure!" Pete cast off his poncho, revealing an insectoid Badnik with four more arms, all armed with blasters.
"What the?!" Lily exclaimed.
"Lemme reintroduce myself all proper like." Two additional arms sprouted from where his old ones had been cut off. "I'm Six Gun Pete, Badnik Horde Commander of the Wyldwest Egg Militia! And I'm about to give y'all an all expense paid trip to Boot Hill!"
Pete shot at Lily, who closed her eyes as she waited for the inevitable; only to find herself moving. She opened her eyes, shocked to see Sonic carrying her and Pete and Thunderbolt gawking at them incredulously."What the…?"
"Whew!" Sonic exclaimed as he wiped his brow, "Looks like all that training is starting to pay off." He set a stunned Lily down before returning his attention to the Eggperial outlaws, "Good thing too, 'cuz I get the feeling I'm gonna need it."
Pete narrowed his eyes at the hedgehog. "Get clear, Miss Thunderbolt." He readied his guns. "I'm 'bout to turn this whole block into a beehive."
"Let 'em have it." Thunderbolt ran off. Seeing this, everyone got ready. They didn't have to wait long though, as Pete immediately drew and began spinning his blasters as soon as Thunderbolt got out of range. "Let's see y'all dodge this! Six Guns Showtime!"
"Oh no!" Rally screamed. "Scatter!"
At that, Pete started firing lasers everywhere, which bounced off of everything. Everybody scattered, running for cover.
"Okay, he needs to go down!" Sally shouted.
"But how are we gonna get to him!?" Bunnie demanded.
A laser flew over her head, dangerously close.
"Easy, ya don't!" Pete shouted before loudly guffawing at his enemies' helplessness.
"Hey, Petey! Over here!"
Pete looked up, seeing Sonic waving mockingly at him and dancing around the lasers.
"All I need is one gun to get you, Hedgehog!" he swore as he holstered all but one of his blasters.
"Oh, yeah?" Sonic shot back. "Well, I bet I can outdraw you!"
"Ha! You don't even have a gun!"
"Don't need one!"
The two stared each other down, Pete reaching for his guns.
"Draw!"
Just as Pete aimed a single pistol, Sonic dashed forward and kicked it up. By the time Pete pulled the trigger, it was forced up under his chin, causing the fired laser to blow his own head off.
"This is why you shouldn't play with guns," Sonic quipped. "You'll shoot your eye out."
Pete's headless shell stumbled around for a bit, eventually falling into a Pasha's water trough. Sparking and voltage reached their ears as he short-circuited before falling to the ground with a clunk.
"Toldja," Sonic quipped.
Slowly, everyone came out of hiding. The saloon patrons even came out, all of them in shock.
"I...I don't believe my eyes..." Dennis said.
"You... YOU BASTARD!" The group turned to see Thunderbolt run over to Pete's body, kneeling before it in horror before glaring at them, "Pete was one of my finest creations! How dare you scrap him!"
"Looks like it's time to go back to the drawing board," Sonic held out his hand to catch Pete's falling head. "Now beat it."
He threw the head at Thunderbolt, who barely managed to catch it.
"Uuuugh…" Pete groaned. "Did I win?"
Thunderbolt let out a growl. "This isn't over, Hedgehog! You hear me!? All you've done is bring yourself a world of hurt!"
She took off running with Pete's head.
"New bad guys, same cliches," Sonic said.
Suddenly, all the townsfolk started cheering. Sonic blinked, slowly realizing what had just happened.
"I won…" he let out, a grin spreading across his face. "For the first time since Akhlut, I actually won! I did it!"
"Good job, Sonic!" Sally congratulated.
"Way to go!" Hope declared.
"Knew you could do it!" Rotor said.
"Sonic, that was absolutely incredible!" Willie exclaimed.
"That it was!" Dennis agreed. "You destroyed that hunk o' junk in one shot!"
He approached, putting a hand on Sonic's shoulder. "Son, how'd you like to be the next Sheriff of Tranquil Gulch?"
"Sheriff?!" Lily shrieked incredulously.
"Me?" Sonic shook his head. "No thanks. I was just passing through. We really gotta fund Bunnie's uncle."
"It'd just be temporary," Dennis assured. "Till we can find a permanent replacement."
"'Sides, Pete was only one of the Dust Riders' big bosses," WIllie added, "And knowin' them, they'll definitely be back for revenge."
"And if you want, as payment for your service, I'll talk to some contacts I have," Dennis offered. "We can help locate Beau for you."
"Well…" Sonic crossed his arms in thought. "When you put it that way…"
"Then it's settled!" Dennis declared. "Let's give three cheers for the new interim sheriff of Tranquil Gulch! Hip-hip…"
"Hooray!" the crowd cheered.
After the third hip-hip, Lily's voice cut in: "No!"
All eyes turned to Lily, who was glaring at Sonic, fists clenched and shaking.
"I'll take anyone for sheriff but this city-slicker!" she shouted. "He's a hack! A fraud!"
"Lily…" Rally began.
Several people in the crowd objected.
"What the heck is wrong with you, Lily!?"
"Yeah, Sonic and his friends just saved your life!"
"Show some gratitude, you ungrateful little brat!"
Lily stamped her foot angrily. "After what happened to Jesse, you expect me to trust Sonic for anything?! Forget it!"
She turned on her heel and stormed off.
"Lily, wait!" Rally cried.
"Let her go, Rally," Dennis sighed.
Rally turned to him. "Mr. Mayor?"
"Just let her cool off. You know how hard what happened to Jesse hit her."
"Sorry, but... who's Jesse?" Sally asked.
Rally sighed.
"Let's head back to the saloon," the stallion said wearily, "You're gonna wanna sit down for this."
Meanwhile…
Out in the desert, a Warp Ring opened up. Cream and Cheese jumped out of it.
"Here we are, Cheese! Tranquil…" Cream looked around, seeing nothing but blank desert. "Gulch? But why…"
Cheese chirped, Cream perking at that.
"Oh, right. Even if we know where we're going and have a destination in mind, it only works properly if we've been there at least once." Cream took stock of their location. They were in the middle of a scorching desert, with no resources, no supplies, and no sign of civilization, with no way back to the Rabbot estate. "I... did not think this through."
"You alright there, little girl?"
Cream turned around to see a lone stranger with scraggly, shoulder-length, black hair walking toward her. He was dressed in Western attire; a long duster, a scarf, and a wide-brimmed hat. His most striking feature was his sunglasses, which were round and a fiery red color. Interestingly, despite being nearly completely covered from head to toe, he didn't seem to be bothered by the heat.
"Oh, hello Mister," Cream greeted, "I'm sorry to disturb you, but my friend and I are lost. We're trying to get to Tranquil Gulch."
"That so?" the human asked. "As it happens, I'm on my way there now. I'm meeting some friends there."
"Me too!" Cream exclaimed. "Could we come with you, if it's not too much trouble? I... don't really know where I'm going."
"Hmmm…" the human thought for a moment. "I'm not sure. You're being awful trusting. You just met me. For all you know, kid, I could be a total psycho."
Cream put on the cute eyes and layed on a thick layer of her gift. "It's okay, I know you won't hurt me."
"Oh really?" the human leaned forward.
"Uh-huh!"
"And what makes you so sure of that?"
"I just know." Cream twirled her toe in the dirt, putting on a puppy dog pout for good measure. "So, will you pwease take me to Tranquil Gulch?"
The man flinched slightly, unsure of what to make of all this. "Oh, alright," he said with a heavy sigh.
Cream smiled. "Thank you so much!"
The man looked away. "Yeah, sure."
With that, they began walking.
"Oh! I'm sorry, I forgot my manners. My name is Cream, and this is my friend Cheese."
Cheese chirped in response.
"What's your name, Mister…?"
"Me? I'm…" the man paused. "Well, most people call me...Kid."
Author's Note:
(1): The theme is Galloping Gertie. Best known nowadays as the "Play me off, Johnny!" theme from Family Guy.
(2): Spanish for "Shut up, pincushion!"
Well, things are heating up, aren't they? Next chapter, Sonic adjusts to being temporary Sheriff as the chip on Lily's shoulder is revealed.
Voice cast for this chapter:
* Willie - Kaili Vernoff (Susan Grimshaw in Red Dead Redemption 2, Karen in Thoroughbreds, Kerry Ridge in The Path)
* Dennis - Mike Pollock in his Mayor Fink voice from Sonic Boom
* Pete - Pat Fraley (Krang in Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles 1987, Marshal Moo Montana in Wild West C.O.W.-Boys of Moo Mesa, Falcon in Stuart Little: The Animated Series)
* Kid - Scott Menville (Robin in Teen Titans, Shaggy in Shaggy & Scooby-Doo Get a Clue!, Jimmy Jones in Ben 10: Ultimate Alien)
Please R&R. Until next time!
