"From the messages I'm getting, most of the fight's taking place outside of the club." His secretary, a Mobian deer said crisply while adjusting her spectacles and flicking through her tablet. "However, one of the combatants, a Restoration member called Whisper if the buzz on social media is anything to go by, is in a shootout with Fang the Sniper. We're already looking at high costs in repairs for Club Spin, and that's discounting the bombs that Bean the Dynamite is throwing around. The Restoration members and that badnik are containing the fight, but that still puts your property in severe risk…"
"Enough." Mammoth Mogul raised his hand, the chatter of the woman ceasing immediately with one word. "Leave."
He had heard everything he needed to know.
The deer did not protest. Like the servants of old, she knew her place within his palace. With a slight bow she turned on a heel and walked out of his office, her high heels clicking on the polished wood floor.
Once the door was shut his albino bodyguard and his First, Shiro the Corsac Fox, spoke up. "I got word from Trigger. She and some of the men are nearby and will be going in through the back door to handle the two snipers."
"The weasel is expendable." Fang the Sniper, or Nack the Weasel as he had knew him in the previous world, had been useful in his own way but as of now he could not see the weasel having a place within his slowly growing new empire. "The wolf, however, is still a member of the hedgehog's group. She is not to be harmed, and they are not to kill the weasel in front of her without just cause."
Shiro took out his phone and began to type the message to Mogul's Second, "Should I contact Pluto and Cheshire?"
"There is no need for the Four to gather." Not yet, at least. Mogul reached for his phone and began dialing the number of one of his tools within this city. "This is not the battle I had created you for."
"Of course, sir." The fox bowed. "I didn't mean to presume."
Loyalty, absolute and complete loyalty. That had been something both versions of the Fearsome Foursome had lacked. The originals became glorified mercenaries, useful but in the end slaves to their own greed and whims. Especially when they were being lead by that Scourge the Hedgehog, a spoiled mewling child who played at being strong, and Fiona Fox, a slave to momentary highs and her own past.
The second group were tools he had to control using his awesome mind and magic to do his bidding. Not a difficult task, but one that wasn't worth the effort and planning it took.
The Fearsome Foursome he had gathered now were completely loyal. Given power and vision by him. Even the one who complained the most of his work, Pluto, fell into line should he command it. All of them would die for him and would gladly do so.
Shiro was the most useful of the Four. Once a young delinquent living on the streets, lost and without any purpose other than to decimate his rivals. Mogul had seen the longing hidden deep within the useless lump of tissue in Shiro's head and reached out. He gave the fox the purpose he so desperately craved.
And now, Shiro hung onto his every word.
For Mammoth Mogul was his God, and that was just the way Mogul liked it.
The phone rang twice before a cheerful voice came on the speaker. "Oh, Mogul Darling! I was just wondering when you'd call!"
He ignored the blatant disrespect. What care did he have for an ant like the hedgehog woman? "Are your people moving towards the club?"
"Of course! Like I would have them miss out on catching the biggest fight to break out in Studiopolis since the war! And the Hooligans… now that's a blast from the past! It'll surely tickle the viewers' little nostalgia bones." The woman let out a sigh. "I don't mind seeing Bunnie in action again… now that girl certainly got a few upgrades since the last time I saw her. And that badnik…! Oh, I've wanted to catch her on film ever since those reports of her made their rounds on the web!"
"You can film her all you like… after I do what needs to be done." Mogul got up and grabbed his cane. "And you will do what I have asked of you."
"Of course… of course." The woman already sounded bored. "The camera crew will get you and your men's good sides. I already have writers on standby to spin your message to every corner of Studiopolis and the islands. Hornet TV is primed and ready to go, sweetie."
"Do not fail me, Breezie." With that, Mogul hung up the phone and without looking at Shiro said, "Ready my car."
"On it." The fox used part of the speed that had been gifted to him to make his way to the door within the blink of an eye and left the office to prepare the mammoth's transport.
Mogul contemplated the nature of this new world's magic.
Only an amateur would think it was simple and less powerful than those of the previous one.
Magic was a tool that deserved a user's respect. It may not be Chaos Magic, but the energies that flowed through this world were old. They were untamed and unknowable. Powerful, and one could easily be consumed if they were to underestimate it. Even a fool like Witchcart knew her limits.
"I wonder if her caution now is the result of an echo from her previous self."
Perhaps she heard the scream of the woman she once was as that self ceased to be in the dead of night.
It was an amusing thought.
But Mogul was old and wise. He studied and learned until he learned to master this new unknown frontier of his craft.
It pulsed beneath his suit, and Mogul glanced down. The dull grey and magenta glow beating underneath the fabric until he tapped it, allowing the light to die down.
"Later." He muttered before walking towards the door.
He had foreseen several outcomes to the night's events, especially when some of his people reported the Hooligans were in the city. Perhaps the princess would attack Mina Mongoose, perhaps the sentimental fool would forgive his pawn and come to his office, or perhaps a fight would break out between the princess' friends and the Hooligans.
No matter the outcome, sooner or later he would benefit.
It was merely the way of the world.
"Lollipop?"
"No thank you, sir."
"I have found out that eating sweets helps." Harvey Who muttered as he closed the lid to his candy jar. "Especially in trying times like these."
Hershey the Cat, member of the Royal Secret Service, sat in the living room as the owl went to the window of his new home. Everyone's homes were new, especially when they were run out of Mobotropolis by a monster they had thought they were rid of.
Robotnik, that vile and disgusting thing they had thought long dead, had somehow managed to return. In a few short days he had managed to reestablish his hold over territory they had reclaimed only a short while ago. Who mocked them, mocked their heroes, mocked their king, and mocked their suffering over the telecrates and communication equipment.
Hershey wanted to shake. She wanted to cry in frustration at the sheer cosmic cruelty of it all.
But no. Not now.
Right now, she was meeting one of the most important men of the kingdom.
"I'm sure you have been debriefed by St. John regarding what Princess Sally and the other Freedom Fighters had uncovered on their trip to the satellite." The former head of the Secret Intelligence Division walked over to the window, standing beside it as the beams of light illuminated him in the mostly dark room. "Regarding the true nature of Robotnik's return."
"I would say it was hard to believe if Mobius wasn't already pretty mad, sir." In a world like theirs, one had to get used to the idea of the fantastical. Especially when it came to alternate Zones. "An alternate version of Robotnik that killed his Sonic and the royal family decided to move in here and continue the fun."
"Indeed." The owl let out a sigh. "Right now, the kingdom is in a bit of a state. The king and his men are trying to maintain order while Sonic and the others are heading off to do what they can to gather allies and counter this… Robo-Robotnik's schemes."
Yes. She had heard that Sonic and the others had gone off with the Overlander Nate Morgan to some ancient lost city. They even brought along the child Amy Rose…
…most likely to prevent some especially zealous patriots from strangling the young girl for wasting a wish on making herself slightly older!
To be honest, it infuriated the cat as well. How could the girl just go up and waste a wish that could've helped Queen Alicia?!
"Meanwhile, other kingdoms and territories are in disarray." Harvey opened the shades slightly to look outside. "Many are considering laying down their arms and allowing Robo-Robotnik's forces to return unopposed. I have good intelligence that indicates the Dragon Kingdom will be reintegrated into Robotnik's empire within the next two years."
Hershey's hands clenched into fists. "So they're giving up? Is that it?!"
All that fighting… all the pain and loss… had it meant nothing to those people? Had the taste of freedom they had once Robotnik was killed been so worthless to them? So worthless that they would gladly roll over and become slaves again rather than stand up to fight?!
The owl said nothing.
Taking in a deep breath, Hershey asked a simple question. "Why am I here, sir? Why am I here and not the other members of the Royal Secret Service?"
Why wasn't Geoffrey here instead of her?
Geoffrey, stubborn and very much an alpha male almost to an infuriating degree, but dashing and brave. Loyal to his country to a fault, even if he lets his rivalry with a literal child like Sonic get the best of him at times.
He should be here. Not her.
Harvey released the blInds. "…Hershey, do you love the Kingdom of Acorn?"
She blinked. "…Sir?"
"Would you be willing to do anything for it? For the sake of the royal family and the citizens that live within its borders? Would you sacrifice your body and soul to ensure their safety?"
Hershey bit her lip. Why? Why was Harvey asking her these things? "S-Sir, I don't think I'm the right person to ask these things. Geoffrey…"
"Is compromised."
She stood up, her eyes wide and hands clenched into fists. "That's absurd! Geoffrey loves the kingdom! He would never betray it to Robotnik!"
The owl sadly shook his head. "It's not Robotnik, nor is it the new Robo-Robotnik." Harvey walked over to the small desk and opened it, placing a small handheld device on it before he tapped on the surface. "It is someone else."
"What does that mean?!"
"…While St. Johns' service to the kingdom is great, and one cannot diminish his contributions, the entire fiasco that led to the original Robotnik's death caused me to reexamine the members of the Freedom Fighters and the kingdom's forces."
Hershey winced at that. Even now, even after she had long since thrown away the wolf's place in her heart, a part of her still hurt from his betrayal.
The owl claw hovered over the device. "When Sonic the Hedgehog was on the run for the princess' supposed murder, I had begun my own investigation. Research into Sonic's past had indicated there was nothing in either his history or character that would cause him to betray us. Drago Wolf, however, had many irregularities in his behavior and I would have presented my evidence to clear Sonic's name had not Dulcy the Dragon proven his innocence for me."
The cat felt slightly relieved at that. At least now she knew, without a doubt, that the hedgehog boy would've been saved from imprisonment for a crime she had committed. "But what does this have to do with Geoffrey?"
Harvey sighed. "While investigating our ranks, I had noted some… irregularities about St. John. I had asked members of the Secret Intelligence Division to put him under surveillance, and they had recorded this."
The owl pressed the button and the tape whirled inside, the crackling of leaves and some wind was heard before a voice rang out.
Geoffrey's voice.
"It's done." Geoffrey chuckled. "That Overlander bastard, Robotnik, is dead. Looks like that hedgehog had actually done something right this time."
She didn't hear anything after that, but the pause made it appear as if the skunk was waiting for a reply.
"No, I couldn't just kill him!" Her commander scoffed. "I was outnumbered, and even if by some miracle I had managed to kill both Sonic the Hedgehog and Knuckles the Echidna, I'm not spontaneously about to develop the power of flight! That dragon would've flown off to inform the others of what I had done!"
Hershey gasped, her eyes widening in shock and horror. Sure, Geoffrey had muttered under his breath about how he wanted to 'kill that punk' whenever Sonic got on his nerves, but he'd never been… well… serious! In fact when the subject was brought up, Geoffrey would brush the entire chase of Sonic as an embarrassing endeavor he only took part in because of the evidence at the time.
Here… Geoffrey was acting as if he would've killed Sonic if Knuckles and Dulcy weren't there!
"It is frustrating, but handling Sonic will take time. And thankfully with the reputation I accrued throughout the years, and the place I have in the princess' heart, I'm sure I can pull it off." Geoffrey paused. "No, it'll possibly take a bit more than that." Another pause. "Yes, yes I do understand. Thank you for trusting me, Master."
There was the sound of footsteps on foliage before the tape stopped, the click of a button being pushed back into place echoing through the room.
"That… that can't be Geoffrey." Hershey muttered, pointing at the recorder. "It has to be a forgery! It…!"
Harvey sadly shook his head before reaching into his robe and placing photos on the table. He tapped on the surface. "I had also asked my agent to take pictures as confirmation. They are here if you wish to see them."
The owl took a step back, and she just stared at him incredulously. It was absurd! How could he expect her to believe this… this farce! There was no way that her commander would betray them! Was this some sort of game to him?! Did he expect her to doubt Geoffrey St. John?!
But… hadn't she wholly trusted Drago as well?
With numb legs, Hershey walked to the table and stared at the photographs. Some of it was obscured with leaves, but there was Geoffrey. He was standing there, holding onto some strange amulet and either shouting at it or rolling his eyes. He actually looked like he was talking to someone!
"I have reason to believe that the amulet is a communication device of some kind. Used to communicate with this unknown party." Harvey continued while she stared at the photographs. "Once I received this information, I had learned that St. John's father, Ian St. John, had been shot down by Overlanders during the war. This would have made St. John a prime target for this party to turn into their agent."
"But… he had helped to create the Rebel Underground!" She shot back, turning to face the owl. Desperation dripped out of every word that came out of her mouth. "He helped to reform the Royal Secret Service! He gave me, Wombat, Valdez, Heavy, and Bomb a chance to serve the kingdom! Why would he do any of that if… if…?!"
"As of right now, all of St. John's actions are in service of the kingdom. Every action has benefited us in some way." Harvey assured her. "That cannot be ignored. And he has not performed any treasonous actions aside from his vendetta against Sonic. It's why he's still a member of our forces. But this cannot be overlooked."
The owl let out a sigh.
"Should this unknown party request for his cooperation in their ultimate plan we cannot guarantee he will act in the kingdom's best interests. As for the rest of the Secret Service… They are especially loyal to St. John. They are likely to follow his orders."
With dry lips she asked, "And me?"
The owl eyed her for a second before answering. "…I believe you have experienced enough to know that those you love and admire may not be all that they seem. And that small acts can help to destroy everything we hope to achieve."
Of course she did.
The stupid Sonic suit… the 'Snively Vision'… the kingdom hunting for Sonic for a crime he didn't commit… all because she believed in a man she thought she loved. A man who treated her like dirt and tried to use her to destroy the kingdom.
The man who almost made her kill Sally.
The shame of it all never left Hershey. Every night she berated herself for what had happened. She had joined the Royal Secret Service to do more for the kingdom. To help atone for her mistakes.
"…I do, sir."
Harvey nodded and walked over to the couch before sitting on it. "The Secret Intelligence Division remains disbanded. Unfortunately, the king is too distracted by current affairs and sees little value in my division. However, I still have access to resources that the king has forgotten about. I can restart the division should I deem it necessary… in a limited capacity, of course." He pointed to her. "And I wish for you to be a part of this. To act as the kingdom's secret dagger in affairs and ensure both its safety and prosperity in these trying times. To be the princess and Sonic's secret ally…"
Hershey closed her eyes. She remembered the shock she felt when she heard the news that Princess Sally was dead, and her own growing horror that she may have had a part to play in it.
She had been a tool for Drago. A slab of meat he could use and abuse for his own benefit.
Becoming a member of the Royal Secret Service had made her feel as if she belonged. And she got to be with Geoffrey… the man who she owed her new lease in life to.
If she did this… then perhaps Geoffrey could remain the noble and loyal soul she knew he was.
"Do you accept?"
Hershey opened her eyes and nodded. "Yes, sir."
Harvey Who smirked.
"Welcome to the Secret Freedom Fighters, Agent Priestess."
"You can't be serious." Lyco Wolf said tonelessly. "There's gotta be another way."
"You know the director's orders." Hershey shot back with a frown, crossing her arms and staring down at the pink-furred wolf. "We're not to reveal our identity to the princess or anyone within the Restoration."
"But… you're saying we should act like we're Eggman's stooges!" Leeta spluttered out, motioning to the fight happening just outside of the alleyway. "Nobody's going to buy that! Eggman hasn't had that many organic underlings in this wo-!"
"Starline and…" The cat grimaced. "…Infinite have set a precedent. If we declare ourselves agents of the Eggman Empire, they're extremely likely to believe that Mina has been kidnapped by him. It'll ward off suspicion and have Mogul, the Hooligans, and the Restoration divert their attention to Eggman."
But even Hershey knew that this was going to be a rush job. Had she'd been allowed more time to plan, Mina Mongoose's extraction wouldn't be so half-baked. They would have disguises and repurposed Eggman technology to sell the illusion.
"And if we're lucky, it'll work. Then Mogul and Eggman can go and kill each other."
But that was likely wishful thinking.
"And what if they don't buy it?" The twin wearing blue clothes crossed her arms and glared at Hershey. "What if we're unable to extract Mina in time? What then?"
Hershey closed her eyes. Damn it. She'd been hoping to avoid this. "…Then we'll do what we have to."
She expected it, but it still hurt when the green-wearing twin grabbed Hershey by the collar and slammed her against the wall. "We're not killing an innocent girl." Leeta hissed, glaring at the cat in the eyes. "I don't care what screwed up orders Harvey gave you if the mission was a failure. I'm not going to have her die!"
"You think I want to do it?!" The cat shot back. Did the girl think she was that cold hearted? "We need to do what we can to prevent the situation happening in New Mobotropolis from spreading to the Restoration! They will rush in and won't understand! The king will…!"
"We don't care!" Lyco was by her sister's side, her fangs gleaming in the light as she growled. "We're supposed to be heroes! Not… not whatever the hell you are!"
For a second, Hershey felt shame wash over her. To hear it said aloud…
But then anger boiled over that shame and her hands clenched into fists. Who the hell were these two to judge her?! They had no idea what she had done to help the kingdom. The things she did to ensure that her friends and their families could be safe for just a bit longer!
"You're Secret Freedom Fighters." She glared back at Leeta. "This is what we're supposed to do. Now are you going to argue with your superior officer or help me extract Mina Mongoose?"
The cat and wolves glared at each other for a few seconds as the fighting continued outside. Then, slowly, the green-clad wolf released Hershey and the cat fixed her ascot.
"If you kill her, we're done." Lyco said coldly. "We'll drag Elias kicking and screaming out of the base before telling Silver, Princess Sally, and the Restoration everything."
Hershey looked down and took a deep breath. Slowly, she let it out before saying, "Then let's not let things come to that."
The twins nodded and moved to the opening of the alleyway, their eyes studying the events and waiting for the opening to begin the operation.
"Those two… are really stubborn." The twins had a strong and idealistic sense of duty, coupled with a desire for excitement and adventure. "Maybe they were a bad fit for this life."
No… no, if they were weak at heart then they wouldn't have recovered.
Hershey closed her eyes and remembered…
Elias was shivering on the ground, curled into a ball as tears fell from his eyes. Lyco was hugging her sister Leeta as the twins sobbed on their hands and knees in the center of the Secret Freedom Fighters' base. The stone ruin with alien markings not unlike a circuit board glowed blue, matching the soft glow coming from the stone amulets held within the agents' utility belts.
"What's happened to them?!" Larry screamed as he held his head in his hands. "How did they get here?! Where's Silver?! That screaming and light… what was that?! What the heck is happening?!"
"Agent Joker! Remain calm!" Harvey was trying to keep control of the situation, but it was taxing. Even with all his preparations what had happened completely blindsided the owl. "Agent Priestess, check on them!"
Hershey nodded, quelling her own shaking, and rushed over to Elias' side. "King Elias? It's me, Hershey St. John.." She reached out and put a hand on his shoulder. "Are you…?"
The chipmunk muttered something in a low voice. Leaning down, she heard him whisper again.
"Something happened." Elias Acorn muttered. "Something happened. Something happened. Something happened. Something happened. Something happened…"
He looked Hershey in the eyes and the cat had never felt more afraid.
"And the End is near."
Hershey let out a shaky breath and patted the small sidearm she kept on her hip.
"Leave it for now."
She had to handle things one problem at a time.
Hershey just hoped that her solution wouldn't be the one that needed to happen.
/eeffSsO_U7c
Whisper had been the scout of the Diamond Cutters, and that meant she had been put in situations like the one she found herself in now.
While she was good at hiding herself, it didn't mean she was perfect. Sometimes there was a badnik that she hadn't accounted for. Sometimes the robots had thermal vision installed and spotted her behind cover. That usually meant that she had to find her way out of situations where she was pinned down and backup was minutes away, which might as well be hours to her.
"Keep calm. Assess the situation." Many would find that impossible when they were behind quickly shrinking cover, but she had been in worse situations. "His blaster… after every seven shots he waits two seconds. Possibly to prevent overheating."
Then there was the matter of the power source. Eventually the battery was going to run out, and the weasel probably kept spares on his belt. If he was trained then that would give her, at most, a five second window.
A portion of the table exploded just over her head. She was hiding behind a glorifies outline of her body. "Come on!" Fang shouted from behind. She could still hear his spring-like tail bouncing on the ground, lifting him up and down. "We both know there's no way you're getting out of this one! Next shot's going to go right through you!" She could almost hear his grin. "What's the matter? Too busy choosing which one of your friends you're using?!"
The wolf reached into her cloak and took out her flashlight. She mentally calculated the shots after that last one Fang shot and confirmed it was six. It should do.
"Get ready. Spikes." She whispered to her partners. "Then hover followed by laser."
"Roger!" The Pink, Green, and Cyan Wisps responded at once. "Go get that jerk, Whisper!"
"Y'see, that's the problem with you Wispon users! Always gotta compromise with those little things to do anything, and they do most of the work!" She could almost hear Fang's sneer. "Not like me, or any of the real gunslingers! Just give us a blaster and we get to work! We…!"
Whisper chucked the flashlight over her head and, as predicted, the weasel shot it into pieces. The wolf got to her feet as the Pink Wisp entered her Variable Wispon before she fired. The spinning saw-like spike ball shot forward, going right for the enemy sniper's tail on his way down.
He yelped and tucked back his tail as the ball passed underneath him, landing on his feet while Whisper ran towards him.
"You're an idiot, you know that?!" Fang took aim with his weapon. "Just charging at me! What kind of sniper does that?!"
Whisper said nothing and aimed upwards before firing. The spiked ball made contact with one of the hanging props above the weasel, cutting the wires holding it up and causing it to fall. The Hooligan screamed as he leapt out of the way, three shots going wild as the last of the Diamond Cutters leapt over both him and the wreckage.
The Pink Wisp exited her Variable Wispon and the Green Wisp entered, allowing the Wispon to enter Hover Mode as she flew further away.
"Get back here!" Fang cried out as he fired at her, wasting three more shots as he tried to readjust his aim. "Freakin' gimmick users!"
Whisper let go of the trigger and exited hover mode, dropping to the floor and hiding behind another table that she kicked over.
Fang began firing while running towards her, taking bigger chunks of the table as the wolf calmly noted the trajectory of the club's lights.
"I'm not going to let you pull another fast one, girl!" The weasel now sounded legitimately angry. "This has gone on way too long!"
Whisper heard something drop onto the floor and the rustling of fabric. Fang was changing the battery of his blaster. He was going to be distracted for five seconds.
She reached for her boot and took out her small mirror while the Cyan Wisp switched with the Green Wisp.
Fang swatted aside the table and took aim with his blaster. "End of th-!"
Whisper adjusted the mirror and shot the light of one of the laser's directly into Fang's eye.
"GAAH!" He screamed in pain and covered it with his free hand. "You…!"
The wolf fired with her Variable Wispon, knocking the blaster right out of Fang's hand and making it clatter to the ground. She got onto her feet before slamming the butt of her Wispon into the side of the weasel's face. He fell to the ground, cursing and trying to reach for his weapon before she placed her boot onto the Hooligan's chest.
"Don't try it." She whispered while aiming her Wispon at his head. "You lost."
Fang blinked before sneering at her. "How?"
Well, might as well answer this one truthfully. "Better sniper than you."
"That's a load of…!"
The music then suddenly stopped and a new voice cut through the air. "Okay! I think that's enough!"
Whisper glanced up as she heard several feet march across the floor and found herself surrounded by white suit-wearing Islanders of varying races, each of them wielding a handgun and all of them aimed at her and Fang.
She was surrounded.
"Crap."
She heard someone clapping and the circle of thugs parted to reveal a porcupine lady wearing a white suit. Her suit hugged her body and showed her figure, but the jacket was open and moved with every step she took. Slightly longer quills stuck out of the back of the jacket, but it seemed to be styled to take the spikes into account. Her head quills were styled in a pixie cut, dark brown with white tips while her muzzle was a lighter shade brown.
"Man, that was such a cool show!" The woman laughed while clapping. She was possibly only a bit older than Whisper herself, and it seemed to show in her voice. "I was actually getting kind of worried a few minutes ago, but you managed to pull off a win! Good for you, girlfriend!"
Whisper decided to ask the only correct question. "Who are you?"
"Ooh! You wanna know my name already?" The porcupine winked. "Have to say, appreciate the spirit, kid! But unfortunately you're a little young for me."
"…" She wouldn't even dignify that with a response.
"Well, since you're cute I'll give you a pass," The porcupine bowed. "Trigger the Porcupine, proud member of Mr. Mogul's personal security force! I was sent here to put things back in order, and that means taking you both in for the time being."
Mogul. Right. Wasn't that the name of Mina's new boss? The one that Sally seemed to know?
"What is his involvement in all this?"
"Don't I get a say in this?" Fang shouted from below. "I have a bounty hunter license! This is a legitimate job! That girl has a…!"
Something shot out from the porcupine's back. A quill that Whisper could only see thanks to both her trained eyes and the light gray and magenta glow surrounding it.
The end of the quill hovered over Fang, right between his eyes as they widened in shock and horror.
Trigger wagged her finger. "Uh-uh! No lip from you! I mean, you can but if you do I'll get very annoyed." Her flirtatious smile gained a dangerous edge. "And you won't like me if I'm annoyed."
Whisper let out a sigh.
The situation was becoming a lot more complicated.
"I hope Tangle and the others are okay…"
At least she won her fight. That was something.
Bunnie's face felt hot.
She felt the small trickle of blood run down her face, the gash underneath her left eye stinging in the open air as she laid on the ground. Her left hand, the mechanical thing that she received for signing away her life, raised and touched her left cheek. It hurt. It hurt so much.
"How could you." Daddy hissed as he stared at her with utter fury. His belt was held in his hand and her eyes couldn't help but focus on the small stain on its surface. The part of the belt that had hit her. The belt that Daddy hit her with. "How could you?!"
"Ah… Ah wanted to get better." Bunnie whimpered. "Ah… the medicine an' the prayers weren't enough. Ah just wanted to get better!"
"At the cost of your soul?!" Mommy shouted back, tears streaming down her cheeks. "Bunnie, after everythin' we taught you… after everythin' you learned at church and from His teachings… you still committed it?!"
Shame filled her. Yes. Yes, she knew she committed a sin. Not only had she gone to the outside and fraternized with sinners, but she injected their medicine and technology into herself.
And she'd even paid the ultimate price for it. Now she was a monster's slave. Forever indebted to Thunderbolt who could just decide to kill her if she didn't pay on time.
But…
"Ah didn't want to be a burden!" Bunnie screamed, hot tears streaming down her cheeks as she got onto her new feet. The metal made dull thudding noises on the wooden floor as she looked at Mommy. "You said I was a burden! That… that you were tired of helpin' me! That ah was a burden because of Gaia's trial an'… an'…!"
Her mother flinched at her words and sobbed even harder, looking down as if she couldn't stand to look at Bunnie, her own daughter, anymore.
"Don't talk to her like that!" The rabbit girl turned her head to look at her Daddy. The loving man who would never had hurt her seemed ready to pounce. Ready to take another swing. "Don't you dare talk to mah wife like that, you little heathen!"
Bunnie stared at her father with wide eyes. Did he… did he just call her… "D-Daddy…?"
"You're no daughter of mine." Her father seethed out, but tears were forming at the corners of his eyes. "Mah daughter would've had faith in her parents' love in her. Would've had faith in Gaia. Would've accepted the trial with grace and dignity! You…"
Grace and dignity?
Grace and dignity?!
An ugly, dark thing rose from Bunnie's chest.
"Ah never said anythin' because ah wanted to have faith in you!" She screamed, taking her father aback with the fury in her voice. "Ah just sat there while you… you lied to me! You kept lyin' and sayin' ah would get better! That the doc's medicine would get better! That Gaia would make me better! Ah… ah wanted to get better! Ah didn't want to stay in that chair, but if ah said anythin' it would've made you sad, so ah kept my mouth shut!"
Her left hand clenched into a fist.
"An… an you wanna know somethin', Daddy?" Bunnie glared at her father. "Ah had to hear you and Mommy call me a burden behind mah back! Ah had to leave the commune just to learn that ah could've been fixed if you'd just gone an' let them see me! You… you cared more about Gaia than me!"
And that was the truth. She could now see it. It had been rolling around in her head, over and over, when she'd been driven here by Uncle Beauregard. She insisted on it. She wanted to at least tell Daddy and Mommy that she was alive and now had working limbs.
Limbs that she wouldn't have needed if she'd gone to see the heathen doctor earlier.
Gone to see them when the commune's sawbones admitted he didn't know what the heck was wrong with her.
She'd have been healthy and still have an arm and legs that were still her own if her parents had truly loved her more than Gaia!
"An now…" She sobbed out. "Now ah gotta pay a monster to make sure ah don't die! All because of you! All because you cared more about Gaia than your own daughter!"
"You…!" Daddy raised his belt one more time… and then lowered it. He stared at her as if she was a stranger to him before turning around, his shoulders slumped.
Then, he muttered something that shook Bunnie to her core.
"Gaia… why didn't you just take her that day?"
Bunnie stared at his back, her jaw agape as cold horror washed over her. Did… did Daddy just say…?
The anger returned to her. How could he? How could he just say that?! To his own daughter?!
With a clenched jaw, she turned on her heel and ran out of the house that was no longer her home. She ran through the door and to the porch where Uncle Beauregard was waiting. He stared at her with wide eyes just before she crashed into him, hugging him tightly and sobbing.
That was the last time Bunnie Rabbot saw her parents.
"CRAP!"
That was the only thought running through Tangle's head as she used her arms and Tail to shield her face before smashing through a glass window.
The lemur slammed into a table, right onto her still sore shoulder, as glass shards stuck themselves to her fut. Her tail shot out, the end trying to grasp for something nailed to the floor. It finally found a booth chair and clung onto the leather cushion.
Tangle, feeling her tail become taught, grabbed onto it and turned herself just in time to see Bark kicking open the door of the restaurant with a furious glare on his face.
"Okay…" She landed on her feet and retracted her tail, rolling her right shoulder as she finished. "…That could've gone a lot better."
Bark was a lot tougher than she had given him credit for. She'd punched and kicked him a ton of times but the big polar bear didn't seem to be phased in the slightest!
"Seriously, what is this guy made of?!"
And those punches! No wonder he could trade blows with Knuckles! Every time the guy was about to hit her, every part of Tangle's mind screamed in fear. Even when she blocked with her tail, which she was proud of being pretty tough, it erupted in pure pain and didn't work right for a few seconds.
"And if I let him keep wailing at it, I'll probably lose it like Tumble." And there was no way she was losing her awesome tail! It is her best feature!
Tangle glanced at the small rectangle opening that connected the kitchen to the rest of the restaurant. It looked as if the cooks had left in a hurry, if the overflowing pots with boiling water and small fires on the stove were anything to go by.
An evil smirk formed on Tangle's face.
Bark slammed his right fist into the palm of his left before rushing at her.
"Alright then…" Tangle grinned before running to the right. "Time for round two!"
She needed to keep her distance from Bark. And that meant no up close and personal stuff!
The lemur reached out with her tail and began throwing pieces of furniture at the polar bear. Chair, tables, food carts… everything that wasn't nailed to the ground.
Bark swatted each of them away, but one of the table cloths caused him some trouble when it covered his upper body. With a snarl, the polar bear tore it off just in time for a plate and its contents to hit him right in the face.
"Alright!" Tangle pumped her fist into the air. "Ten points!"
The plate slid off and bounced off of the floor. Quickly followed by the steak that had been on it. Bark glowered at her before wiping the mashed potatoes and peas off of his forehead, but he did stop to lick some of it.
"Hey, don't give me that look!" Tangle put her hands on her hips. "This is a fight, remember?"
Bark looked up in thought before nodding, and the lemur felt worry creep into her when he smirked.
The polar bear leaned down and raised his arms. He slammed his fists onto the ground, and Tangle felt not just the floor but the entire building begin to shake. Her teeth chattered as she practically vibrated in place.
"He's making a mini earthquake!"
She heard something crack and looked up just in time to see the hanging lamps begin to fall. Letting out a yelp, the lemur began leaping back as they began raining down.
"Come on!" She screamed before running to the kitchen window. Leaping through, Tangle scrambled on the tiled floor before opening the cabinets. Relief washed over her when she saw the pots. "Yes!"
Grabbing the biggest one, Tangle wrapped her tail around it while her hands grabbed a bag of flour.
Now she was ready!
The lemur got to her feet to see the massive polar bear approaching the kitchen window. When he spotted, Bark raised his fists.
She grinned back at him. "Kitchen's closed, bub!"
With a mighty heave, Tangle hurled the bag of flour at the polar bear. He rolled his eyes and swatted it away with a backhand, but it burst upon contact. A cloud of white enveloped him and the polar bear began to cough while closing his eyes.
"Now's my chance!"
Her tail lashed out, bringing the boiling pot over the polar bear's head and with a mighty heave brought him to the window's edge. She pulled and slammed the potted head onto the edge of the window. With each blow, the sound of clanging metal echoed in the restaurant.
Bark seemed to be trying to recover and was reaching for the tail. But she uncurled and retracted it. Grabbing two frying pans from the counter, she leapt through the window while her tail grasped the window frame behind her.
Leaping to the air, Tangle turned and pulled herself with her tail. Her feet slammed into Bark's back and made the already dented pot slam once again into the window frame. At the same time, she beat the back of the pot with the pans.
Again and again. The tail pulled while the pans slammed against the pot. It was now becoming a symphony of clashing metal, one that was even hurting her ears.
"Will! You! Go! Down! ALREADY?!" Each syllable was followed by Bark's head slamming against the window frame or her pans hitting his head.
Now, the pot was more like a dented dome than something that cooked spaghetti.
But with one final hit, Bark fell to his knees and his upper body fell to the side. The pot rolled off while the polar bear let out a weak groan.
Tangle landed on her feet, dropping the pans to her side and putting her hands on her knees. Letting out several gasps of exhaustion, the lemur grinned and said, "O-Order up! One Hooligan, nice and beaten!"
Nobody answered her.
"…Oh right. Nobody here." Tangle groaned and hell on her butt, finally feeling the sweat matting her fur and tracksuit. "Man… that rocked!"
She did it! She actually beat a Hooligan!
That was something she could brag to Jewel during her report!
Bark let out another groan of pain and she chuckled.
"Well, if you didn't want to get hurt you shouldn't be kidnapping girls!" Tangle let out a sigh and glanced back to the window of the restaurant. The fights were still going on outside, and she'd been thrown pretty far by the polar bear before landing here. Who knew what had gone down since then!
"Hope they're alright…"
She'd have to leap back into the fight soon. Mina wasn't going to rescue herself!
At that moment, her tail decided to remind her that it was hurting from Bark's little taps and she groaned.
"…I'll be back in the ring… in five minutes."
Even heroes needed to have a small break in between fights.
Bunnie dropped from the third story window and landed on her mechanical feet. The sidewalk cracked from the weight of the things, but her legs didn't so much as buckle from the force.
Turned out that Thunderbolt built her limbs to be sturdy things.
"Guess that's somethin' that little monster did right." Bunnie sneered before looking up. She could see her aunt and uncle's lights turn on and cursed. She ran down the sidewalk, ignoring the gawkers as she put her right hand over her hat which flopped in the wind. A hand-me-down that her uncle had given her for something called 'Christmas'. She didn't get it, but it was nice.
It was why she kept it on her, in spite of her now running away from them.
Bunnie had begun living with her uncle and aunt since the day she was banished from her parents' home and the commune. Aunt Lulumae wanted her to go to something called school, but Uncle Beauregard tiredly told his wife that he needed all the help he could get to pay off Thunderbolt's damn debt.
She had worked for her uncle and his crew on various jobs. Sometimes it was just deliveries, where she handed items like weapons and junk in exchange for money. Other times she would help her uncle and his crew break into buildings by punching through a door with her metal arm and opening it from the other side.
Once upon a time, committing the sin of theft would be appalling Bunnie.
Now, she'd grown numb to it. After all, the alternative was dying.
She always got a cut, and she learned to portion out her money out of necessity. Three-fourths would go to paying the debt while the remaining fourth would be used for personal things that interested her. But she mostly saved it up.
Living in the world of the sinners and heathens taught Bunnie a lot of things about their god, their idol… money.
Uncle Beauregard paid for most of the monthly payments to Thunderbolt, but he seemed to appreciate her contribution. Even helped her set up a bank account and got her a phone so she could be contacted for jobs. It was a nice system. One that had been going on for nearly two years without any problems.
But…
"I'm just saying, Beau, we could use that little robo-girl you've got."
"The answer's no."
"Oh come on! I know it's a little dangerous but the score's big! It'll help you settle your debts for, like, half a year!"
"And deal with the leftovers of the Echidnas? Those little creeps set up traps that still work! Bunnie could get killed if she gets involved with your little treasure hunt!"
"Bigger the risk, bigger the reward!"
"The answer's still no, Morded!"
Her uncle was keeping her from the big jobs.
Jobs that could help her get more money, help her pay off the damn debt that was hurting him and Aunt Lulumae so much!
"Burden."
That one word rang through Bunnie's head in her mother's voice.
She was a burden. She was Uncle Beauregard and Aunt Lulumae's burden just like she had been her parents. She was just sitting in their apartment like a leech, only useful for jobs whose pay was used for the debt she had gotten herself into!
How long? How long before her uncle and aunt turned out just like her mother and father? Resenting her in private and then wondering if they would've been better off if the disease had killed her?
"Not anymore." She muttered to herself and turned on her phone. Quickly opening the application that Thunderbolt had sent them to make payments, she sent a simple private message to the monster.
"I'll pay the debt on my own. Stop bothering my uncle and cut his chain."
Bunnie knew she would have to leave the city. Her uncle and aunt would probably go looking for her. She would have to block their phone numbers and emails to prevent them from trying to reach out to her. Thunderbolt wouldn't tell her where she was. That evil little furball wouldn't care so long as she got her payments.
"You're on your own now, Bunnie." Bunnie looked up to the stars and felt the loneliness wash over her. "You're a burden to no one but yourself."
And with that, Bunnie Rabbot continued her lonely trip out of the city.
Silver had never met Bean the Dynamite.
At least the 'correct' version of him.
He had visited an alternate timeline where Knuckles the Echidna had gone mad with the power of Enerjak in the old world. The only thing stopping the Echidna god from totally ruling everything was the Dark Freedom Fighters, led by Knuckles and Julie-Su's daughter, Jani-Ca.
They all had… really weird names. Possibly to fit in more with their rather depressing and dark surroundings. One member of the Dark Freedom Fighters was Demo Duck, who had a thing going on with his version of Bunnie Rabbot. He seemed like a fine enough guy, but when Scarlette Rabbot got hurt he just went nuts.
Bean the Dynamite, on the other hand?
He was just completely nuts.
"Peck!" Bean shouted as he brought his beak down on Silver's head. Pain erupted as the hard keratin made contact with his skull. "Peck! Peck! PECKY-PECK!"
"GET OFF!" The hedgehog shouted, focusing and letting out a burst of his psychokinesis as he flung the insane woodpecker… duck… thing off of him. "What is wrong with you?!"
"DUNNO! DON'T CARE!" Bean stretched out his arms as he sailed through the air. "WHEE!"
Cursing, Silver massaged his scalp and saw Bean land right in front of Blaze. He stood up with his arms raised, as if expecting applause for a ten out of ten landing.
Instead, his friend responded in jumping slightly and performed a horizontal spin. Flames enveloped her as she spun towards Bean, who only seemed to realize the danger he was in mere seconds before she made impact.
With a yelp, he began to run. But it was too late. The princess's leg kicked out and made contact with the woodpecker's backside, singeing his feathers.
"YOW!" Bean began patting it while running around. "My butt's flaming!"
Blaze stopped her spinning and began to run. "The rest of you will follow!"
Silver gulped. He really didn't like the look in his friend's eyes.
A cloak of flames seemed to envelop the cat's body as her speed increased. The Fire Boost practically obscured Blaze from view as she barreled towards Bean.
His eyes widened. "Crap, I think she's really going to kill him!"
The woodpecker, meanwhile, dropped another bomb and began to dribble it as if it were a soccer ball. "Y'know, Daddy Dynamite always said that when a pretty lady chases you…" He turned and kicked the bomb at the princess. "Ya gotta give her a gift!"
The hedgehog's blood ran cold as the bomb sailed towards Blaze, the fuse sparkling as it flew through the air. Instant contact with the flames would make it go off. It would blow up right in his friend's face and…!
A fear and rage that Silver didn't know was within him came out. His power flared as he brought up his hands and reached out with his mind.
"ENOUGH!" He screamed, and his power enveloped both Bean and the bomb. He brought them up, making Blaze completely miss them before he slammed the woodpecker down onto the street with his left hand.
"No fair!" Bean cried out. "No fair! Cheater! Cheater, cheater beetle eat-!"
Silver brough both Bean and the bomb towards him before saying, "Quit struggling." He brought his right hand up and threw the bomb into the air, where it exploded harmlessly. "It's no use."
The woodpecker merely stared at him with pure disappointment. "You're no fun, y'know that?" He sighed and his shoulders drooped. "I wanted our play date to go on for longer…"
"It's my pleasure to disappoint you." Silver looked over to Blaze, who was approaching him while glaring at Bean. "Sorry about that. I just got worried…"
"I would have been fine, Silver. I've handled worse things than a bomb." She put her hands on her hips and smiled. "Still… thank you."
He chuckled. "Don't mention it."
It was… nice, being complimented by Blaze. Sure, they fought side by side plenty of times and they held a quiet respect for each other's abilities. But words as simple as 'thank you' still had such a weird effect on them.
Not that he was complaining.
They heard smooching sounds and looked at Bean, who was making a kissy face. "Aw, that's sweet! You two make such a cute pair!" He giggled as he floated in the air. "So… when am I gonna see your mutant hedgehog-cat babies?"
The two just stared at the woodpecker, blushes forming on their faces while their expressions transformed into those of disgusted bewilderment.
The woodpecker very much deserved the slap the princess gave him.
Bunnie stared at the hair salon that was across the street. Through the clear windows she watched as the hairdresser, a True Folk hedgehog, began cutting the head fur of a dog. There was an art to it. The hairdresser had to know the exact products to give the fur more volume and make it acceptable to the changes. They had to know where exactly to cut and how much so that it stood out from the rest of the fur. The work required a keen eye and concentration, and yet they made it look easy.
"…Someday." Bunnie muttered to herself while reaching up with her right hand and feeling the strands of her front locks. For the longest time she had been doing her head fur herself. It was… a learning experience. She had screwed up a few times, even with the tutorial videos she had watched. But slowly over the past couple of years she'd gotten pretty good at it.
In fact, she'd begun to enjoy it.
But she could never become a hairdresser. For one thing, it took both money and time to earn the license. Two things she didn't have. Plus, even Bunnie wasn't sure if she was good enough to earn enough as a hairdresser to keep herself fed and to pay Thunderbolt.
She needed to pay off the debt completely. She needed to get enough money to make the chinchilla leave her the hell alone and then enough to buy the papers needed to move somewhere. Anywhere.
A birth certificate… a government file… a place to stay that wasn't a cheap apartment in a run-down building…. And a one-way ticket to one of the continents.
A complete fresh start.
"Money, money, money…" The rabbit muttered to herself as she clenched her left hand. "It's all money."
That was all anyone cared about. It's why people stood by each other. They needed each other to help pay for their own debts. There was love, probably, but in the end they all needed money to survive. They needed a place to stay. Needs, wants, and the ability to fulfill them.
That was all that mattered.
"Hey, you Bunnie Rabbot?"
The rabbit girl looked to her right to see another member of the True Folk, but she had a hard time pinning down what species he was. Was he a wolf? Or a weasel? He seemed to have the features of both, but what stood out the most was the brown hat and the long sharp fan that poked out of the corner of his lips.
She glared at him and asked, "What's it to you?"
The wolf-weasel put up both of his hands in surrender. "Hey, no need to get hostile! I'm just asking questions here."
Bunnie's lips pursed. Should she just tell this guy to buzz off? She hadn't wanted to be bothered today.
But telling him to leave wouldn't do much good. He likely already suspected she was the rabbit he was looking for. So, with a sigh, she asked, "…What do you want?"
"Well, if I am in the presence of the legendary Bunnie Rabbot…"
Bunnie, in spite of herself, let out a laugh. "Legendary? HA! Pull out the other one, Sugah!"
Unperturbed by her interruption, the weasel-wolf continued. "…then I've got one heck of a job to offer. One that pays well…" He raised his right hand and began rubbing his fingers with a greedy look in his eyes. "…REALLY well!"
The young criminal crossed her legs. "Ah'm listenin'."
"Just a job for some human scientist calling himself Dr. Eggman. He wants me to get some Ancient Gear out of some ruins for a scheme of his."
Bunnie frowned. She'd heard of Eggman from the news. Some crazy scientist from the continents that used animals as power sources for his robots. He had taken over several zones before he'd been stopped by Sonic the Hedgehog. Eggman had been beaten by the hedgehog several times already and for some reason the human didn't know when to quit.
She decided to ask the important question. "What makes you so sure he'll pay?"
The weasel-wolf chuckled. "I've done a few odd jobs for him. So long as you get the job done, he'll fork over the cash. He doesn't care about screwin' over folks like us. He just wants to crank out those machines, take over the world, and blow Fleet-Feet to kingdom come."
"And you came here because…?"
This time, the confident grin went a bit crooked. "It… may be inside some old ruins and the traps are still on. So I need a bit of extra muscle to get through them." He took out a cork gun from his belt and twirled it. "I can snipe anything, but there's only so much this little beauty can do." He reholstered it and pointed at her. "And I heard that you're one of the toughest girls around, willing to do anything so long as the pay's good. So…" He reached out his hand. "…you in?"
The old Bunnie would've said no.
What this man was proposing was theft, even if the owners have been long dead. She'd be giving the prize over to an evil scientist who would use the Ancient Gear for Gaia knew what, making more people suffer. She'd be damned for her greed and sins when her life came to an end.
But maybe that chinchilla was right about one thing.
If Gaia actually cared, then He would've done something a while ago.
Bunnie stuck out her hand and shook the sniper's hand. "You bet ah am, Sugah. Bunnie Rabbot at your service… so long as the pay's good. What's your name?"
"Fang. Fang the Sniper." The newly named Fang tipped his hat to her and motioned her to come along. "I've got the Marvelous Queen outfitted with a sidecar. Y'know, you should be honored for being the first person besides me to ride around in it…"
Bunnie followed her fellow criminal without any hesitation.
After all… this was just another stepping stone to true happiness.
To true freedom.
And damn what Daddy, Mommy, and even Gaia thought.
Sally had her years of training and experience to thank for Bunnie's mechanized fist not crashing into her face.
She raised her right hand while moving slightly to the left. Pushing the rabbit's mechanized wrist with her right hand while the robian's left hand made contact with Bunnie's side, she used her opponent's momentum against her. Bunnie lost control of her trajectory and let out a cry as she slammed into the side of a car, her thrusters turning off while she landed on her hands and knees.
"You… You don't know the first thing about me!" Bunnie shouted, raw anger in her voice. "So don't even go and pretend that you do, ya bucket of bolts!"
But Sally did.
She knew Bunnie D'Coolette, and that's what made Bunnie's words hurt her even more.
SALLY, YOU CAN'T KEEP THINKING HER AS THE BUNNIE WE KNEW. Nicole said sadly in her head. SHE DOESN'T KNOW US. SHE NEVER MET YOU OR ANTOINE, AND POSSIBLY NEVER MET SONIC IF HER BEING WITH THE HOOLIGANS IS ANY INDICATION.
"…I know that." The Robian's face scrunched up in pain. "She… even if Bunnie was undercover, she'd never take things this far."
Bunnie would've given some indication that this was an act during her time restrained. Some sort of wink or a whisper that everything was okay. Even if the rabbit didn't recognize her, there would've been something to show that they were on the same side.
But there was none of that in those furious eyes.
"It's just so hard. I don't… I knew that the Bunnie of this world might not remember me. That she might've grown up with me. But I never thought…"
SALLY, RAISE YOUR RIGHT HAND!
The princess snapped back to reality and instantly did as her friend said.
To Sally's shock, the fabric of her gloves were torn in the space that housed her hand's knuckles. Panels slid up and blue sparks of electricity shot out.
PARTIAL ELECTROMAGNETIC SHIELD: ACTIVATED
A thin wall of blue light formed in front of Sally and she saw, through it, Bunnie taking aim with her finger gun. A bullet impacted against the shield, the gray material that restrained Mina sizzling and popping against the shield and obscuring the rabbit from view.
"When could I do that?!" The robian asked, blinking in surprise as she looked at her hand.
Nicole actually seemed to be embarrassed as she said, W-WELL, I HAD MANAGED TO UNLOCK A FEW OF THE COMBAT PROTOCOLS IN YOUR SYSTEM. THIS ONE IS A VARIATION OF MECHA SALLY'S SHIELD, BUT IT DOESN'T COVER MUCH AND IT TAKES LESS POWER.
Energy: 75%
Well, that would certainly come in handy!
Sally heard the roar of engines and looked up to see Bunnie was now flying and taking aim with her robotic and lights seemed to flash behind that red screen covering her eye. Cursing, Sally ran forward and leapt up.
"Nicole! Jet boots and retract the arm blade!"
Even if Bunnie was fighting her… even if Sally needed to fight the rabbit to save Mina…. She still didn't want to hurt this version of her friend.
RIGHT!
The jets underneath Sally's feet came to life as she barreled towards the rabbit. Raising her right hand up, she screamed mentally "Partial Shield!"
The panels of Sally's right knuckles opened and the blue shield began to form in front of the princess. Bunnie fired, and this time the shield was enveloped in flames that increased in temperature the closer she got.
The princess grit her teeth as she closed the gap.
She remembered a scene that seemed like a lifetime ago. Just before Bunnie got married, during a sting operation on Rogue the Bat she confessed to her friend her frustrations. Of how she hadn't been on the field in a while and how when Antoine proposed to Bunnie, she was jealous. Because her friend was getting married to the man she loved while still doing her part for their people, all while Sally herself had stuck to the sidelines and did her own part in ruining things within Sonic for a time.
And what did Bunnie say?
"Ah'm glad you see it, Sugah, because ah was startin' to worry for ya. But we're still yo' friends. We can understand if you give us a chance."
Where was that friend now?
Was she truly gone?
Sally didn't have an answer when she closed the gap between her and Bunnie, punching the rabbit in the gut while making sure it didn't have enough force to really hurt her opponent. Then, while Bunnie was gasping from the pain, she turned the rabbit around and pulled her into a hug.
"W-what are you…?!" Bunnie shouted as the robian changed their trajectory.
The princess grit her teeth. "Nicole! Turn off her limbs!"
She didn't want to do it, but she didn't have a choice. Bunnie wouldn't stop and this was the only way to take her out of the fight!
RIGHT! I'M ON… Nicole paused, and the avatar in Sally's window seemed shocked. SALLY, THERE'S A BOMB IN HER!
"Yeah, I know! Eggman includes those in all legionized…"
NO, IT'S NOT THAT! THIS CODE… IT"LL EXPLODE THE BOMB CONTAINED IN HER LEFT THIGH SHOULD ONE OR MORE OF THE LIMBS BE DEACTIVATED!
"What?!" No way. Eggman never put something like that into his legionized soldiers! The threat of a bomb that he could activate at any time was more than enough! "Wait, Silver and the others said robotization doesn't exist in this world! Is that really Eggman's?"
NO. THE CODE IS ADVANCED BUT… IT'S NOT HIS. IT'S NOT PREPARED FOR ANY KIND OF ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE.
"Then deactivate it! Do i-!"
Sally realized she should've been paying attention when she landed on the street and bounced three times against it.
WARNING! MINOR BACK DAMAGE!
WARNING! MINOR RIGHT SHOULDER DAMAGE!
WARNING! MINOR CRANIUM DAMAGE!
Sally let go of Bunnie as she skid to a stop and shook her head. Well that explained the slight static in her vision.
"Y-You crazy badnik!" Bunnie was shakily getting to her feet. "You could've gotten me killed!"
"You wouldn't have gotten seriously hurt!" Sally shot back. "I was just trying to put an end to this!"
"Oh yeah, an' what was the plan?! Hugging me and playing more mind games?!"
"They aren't mind games!" Sally glared at the Hooligan in front of her. "I was trying to reach out for a friend but…" Her hands clenched into fists. "…But I guess she's not here. My friend wouldn't have tried to kidnap an innocent girl!"
SALLY…
Bunnie didn't even seem hurt by the accusation. If anything, she seemed indignant. "She's got a bounty on her! Ah'm within mah rights to take her in for a payday!"
"Is that all you care about? Money?!"
"Oh, don't go judgin' me you piece of scrap!" Bunnie shouted, anger dripping from every word. "Ya don't know the first thing about me! You don't know what it's like to need to live from payday to payday! Everythin' just comes easy to you folks, so easy that you can afford to be nice all the time!"
For a moment, Sally was taken aback. This wasn't the sound of someone owning up to how horrible they were, like Eggman and Nack, or someone really justifying the path they took. Not really.
This… this sounded like a trapped animal.
"Bunnie, I…"
A loud whistle cut through the air, and the two turned their gaze to the entrance of the club. There, they saw several suited Mobians with a porcupine at the head of the pack. She was observing the entire scene with a smirk on her face, her eyes dancing with barely restrained mirth.
Sally's eyes narrowed. "One of Mogul's goons…"
"Man, this looks like a party! Makes me sad that I arrived when you were just about to wrap things up." She cleared her throat and shouted, "Alright! Those of you who are Restoration members sound off! We'll assist you with restraining these criminals!"
Wait, what?
Mogul… was having his men assist them?
"What kind of game is he playing?!"
"Sally!" Tangle's voice rang out, and she saw the lemur running towards them while waving her hand. "I took care of Bark! Need a hand?!"
"Crap!" Bunnie hissed in front of her. "Can this day get any worse?!"
That's when something was thrown out of an alleyway, and her eyes focused on the five cylindrical objects before she saw the smoke begin to leak out of the ends.
"SMOKE BO-!"
That's when all five of the smoke bombs exploded, obscuring everything from view.
Mina had no idea what was going on.
"W-What is this?!" She heard Blaze shout and saw a bright light come from within the smoke. "Silver?! Where are you?!"
"Here!" The hedgehog's voice cried out. "I'm right here!"
"What about me, yo?!" Bean the Dynamite screamed. "What about poor little ol' me?!"
"Bean! Shut up!" Bunnie, but not the Bunnie she knew, shot back from within the crowd. "The girl! Where's the girl?!"
The smoke had come out of nowhere, covering practically the entire street. Everyone seemed confused by the recent development, trying to regroup and get their bearings.
Meanwhile, she was still stuck right where Bunnie had put her.
"Staying in place like a good little hostage." A tired part of her mind groaned out. "Because that's all I'm good for."
"Sally! Are you in there?!" The lemur, Tangle, shouted from down the street. "I can't see you guys!"
"I'm here!" Sally's mechanical voice spoke up. "I'm… hold on, Nicole said she can turn on my thermal vision to see!"
"Everyone better stay in place!" The porcupine lady that had come out of the club ordered. "We're going to sort this all out nice and peacefully before…"
"ATTENTION, RESTORATION MEMBERS AND HOOLIGANS!"
A loud and very female voice shouted, cutting through the confused yelling like a knife.
"IN THE NAME OF THE EGGMAN EMPIRE, WE'RE PUTTING AN END TO THIS!"
Mina's blood froze. No. No way. "E-Eggma-?!"
A hand clamped over her mouth and she screamed before she heard someone shush her from behind.
"Keep quiet!" Mina turned her head to see a pink-furred wolf wearing green and a pair of glasses. "We're getting you out of here!"
"YOU ALL SEEM SO KEEN ON GETTING THIS GIRL, MINA MONGOOSE! SO…WE'LL TAKE HER OFF YOUR HANDS!"
The unknown voice prattled on while the mongoose felt something cut her leg. She let out a small scream before looking down to see another pink-furred wolf that was wearing blue cutting through Mina's right boot.
"Alright, pull on the count of three." The blue-wearing wolf whispered to her companion as she did the left boot. "One, two…!"
With a grunt, the wolf behind Mina picked her up. The mongoose winced as her fur dragged along the material and her feet twisted as they left the boots.
"Who are these two?!" A panicked part of her mind thought as she stared at her rescuers. "A-Are they with Eggman?! Are they going to take me to him?"
What did Eggman want with her? What could she possibly mean to…
A horrible thought crossed Mina's mind. Did Eggman, perhaps, remember what the old world was like? Did he remember her?!
"Okay! Got her!" The green-wearing wolf sighed as she looked up and shouted, "For the Eggman Empire!" Then she stuck out her tongue. "Ugh. I feel like I threw up in my mouth a little!"
"Okay… so they aren't with Eggman." Then who were they? The only other people that could be looking for her would be…
Realization struck her.
"No."
The city!
The king!
They found her!
Mina screamed into the wolf's hand and thrashed around. She used all her strength to try and free herself from the wolf's grip, but it was no use.
"Hey! Stop it!" The green-wearing wolf shouted. "Stop struggling! We're trying to get you out of here! We're…!"
Mina bit into the hand around her mouth and the wolf let out a cry of protest. She dropped the mongoose and the singer scrambled onto her feet.
"Damn it! Stop!" The blue-wearing wolf reached out to her. "Mina, we're not trying to hurt yo-!"
"GET THE HELL AWAY FROM OUR PRIZE!"
The smoke parted and a blur passed in front of Mina before slamming into the wolf. The blue-clothed wolf let out a cry of pain as Bunnie held her to the wall, her face a mask of fury.
"Alright, ah'm a hundred percent DONE with today!" Bunnie glared at the wolf. "First ah gotta deal with some crazy badnik and now you Eggman folks are tryin' to muscle in on this brawl! What in tarnation is going on?!"
"Put her down!" The green-wearing twin unsheathed a knife while crouching down. "Right now!"
Mina had heard enough. She started running through the smoke, her hands covering her face as she barreled forward.
"This is all I'm good for. This is all I can do." She thought to herself with each step she took, the wind in her face and her eyes stinging. "Running. Running and hiding. That's all I ever do."
Her speed increased.
"One place to the next. Always running to avoid having to fight anyone. Because I'm scared. I'm so scared…"
"What… you're Lyco and Leeta!" She heard Sally cry out. "I… I remember you two! You a part of the Wolf Clan!"
"U-Uh…!"
Bunnie let out a snarl. "Ah don't have time for this! Bean! The prize is gettin' away!"
"YAY! Operation Big Boom is a go!"
Mina heard several things hit the floor and begin rolling.
Silver let out a curse. "CRAP! I got some of them! Blaze, where are…?!"
She wasn't fast enough. The mongoose cried out when something exploded behind her, knocking her off of her feet and skidding on the ground. She had raised her arms in time, protecting her face while her jacket was destroyed on the asphalt.
The singer wanted to cry as she picked herself up.
"I don't want to be scared." She whispered, feeling the tears welling up in her eyes. "But… but what can I do? What…?"
She glanced behind her. Bombs were falling out from behind Bean seemingly out of nowhere, rolling around the ground before being enveloped in the turquoise light. Silver continued throwing them into the air, seemingly growing more and more desperate while Blaze pointed at individual bombs to snuff out their lit fuses. Tangle was collecting several other bombs and throwing them up before they exploded while the white-suited henchmen of Mogul scattered, yelling and screaming.
"What are you doing?!" Sally screamed at Bunnie. "He's going to hurt someone!"
"Yeah, you lot!" Bunnie dropped the green-wearing wolf and used her jet boots to race towards Silver. "Plus he's a mighty fine distraction!"
"NO!" The robian screamed as she shot after the rabbit.
Before the hedgehog or cat could react, Bunnie used her metal left leg to kick Silver in his midsection, knocking the wind out of him and making him crash through a window. Blaze snarled and shot a flaming kick at Bunnie, who blocked it with her left arm.
All the while, Mina sat in place.
"Get up." A part of her hissed. "Get up and run. That's all you're good for. That's all you're ever good for! You're not cut out for this! You're a fake Freedom Fighter, remember?"
Right.
A real Freedom Fighter would've gotten up and helped Sally and the others. She would've put more effort into escaping and helping them. Who cared what had been said before? It didn't matter, not when Sally and the others were fighting for her!
Instead she was just here. As useless as ever. A glorified bystander who could just run fast.
"I couldn't even help Nicole back when it actually mattered."
"Woo-hoo! Back in the game!" Bean landed on his two feet and took out a bomb from his back. "Hm. Mongoose lady can move fast like Sonic. So…" His eyes seemed to gleam with insanity as he reared back his arm. "…No legs means no running!"
"No, you idiot!" Bunnie shouted as she reached for the duck. She grabbed the duck's left arm while Blaze grappled with the right, causing the mad bomber to shout as the bomb left his hand and flew up in the air.
Even from her position, Mina knew that the bomb would completely miss her. Instead, she just followed the bomb's path as it bounced and rolled on the ground…
…and that's when she saw it.
It was a small magenta creature, one of the Wisps that she'd seen during her travels. However, it was oval-shaped and had three tentacles. On the top of its head was something that looked like a note stem.
Its tentacles was pinned down by a piece of rubble and it was struggling to pull out, its single eye closed and letting out cries in its alien language.
The bomb was rolling near it, the fuse growing shorter and shorter as the seconds passed.
Mina's eyes widened. "N-Nobody's seeing it." Everyone was arguing and screaming, not paying attention to the trapped Wisp. If nobody acted, it would likely die. It would be blown to bits with no one the wiser.
Nobody noticed it… but her.
"What can I do?"
That answer was easy.
She scrambled onto her feet and began to run. The gravel on her bare feet hurt, especially at the speed she was going.
"I'll mess it up. I'll mess it up and get hurt and…!"
No!
With a scream, the singer slid on the ground and lifted the rock with one hand while scooping up with Wisp in another.
"You'll freeze up." A part of her hissed. "You'll freeze up and get both you and the Wisp killed. You'll freeze up just like with those kids, only this time Sonic won't save you! You stupid, stupid little girl!"
She began to run through both Sally's group and the Hooligans while clutching the injured alien in her hand.
"Please. Please let me do this one thing right…!"
The bomb exploded just behind her, and Mina let out a cry of tired relief.
She did it.
She actually did it!
Mina stumbled to a stop and looked at the Wisp, who was staring at her with a lone green eye. "Thank you." She muttered, feeling the tears forming in the corner of her eyes. "You're safe. You're actually safe. Thank you. Thank you…!"
It muttered something in its alien language while looking around. Then, it let out a scream and one of its tentacles raised up, pointing.
Mina looked up and saw a cat. One that she didn't recognize wearing a pair of glasses that obscured her eyes. She was in an alleyway and had one arm raised.
In the hand was a gun.
One aimed towards her.
"No!" Mina turned and held the Wisp close to her chest, hoping beyond hope that she could at least keep the little creature safe from the bullet…
The sound of jets filled the air and metal bounced off of metal. The singer turned to see Sally standing in front of her, her arms outstretched and a piece of her shoulder torn off.
"You…!" The cat hissed out. "Get out of the way!"
"No! I won't…" The princess paused before muttering, "Hershey?"
Before anyone could respond, someone began to scream.
And that's when Mina heard it.
The sound of something cutting through the air. It was like wind going through a narrow tunnel, the screaming growing louder and louder…!
Sally looked up and her eyes widened. "Damn!" Turning on her heel, the robian leapt at Mina and wrapped her arms around the mongoose. They fell together as something crashed into the area where the princess once stood.
The street buckled and cracked.
Windows shattered, causing it to rain glass everywhere.
Car alarms rang out, causing a symphony of chaos throughout the block.
People were beginning to scream "I-It's him! He's here!"
Mina held the Wisp close as she peaked over Sally's shoulder.
Her blood turned cold.
She had never seen this badnik before, but knew it by reputation.
One of the greatest and most terrible creations of both Robotnik and Eggman.
So effective that Sonic's uncle created an entire army of them back when the boy she had loved was supposedly dead.
It rose to its feet, the blue and silver metal gleaming in the neon light as its cold red eyes surveyed the scene in front of him.
A part of Mina Mongoose's mind let out a single terrified whisper.
"We're all going to die."
Metal Sonic had arrived.
To Be Continued…
Notes: Never handle four fights interlaced with flashbacks, kids. It'll mess you up and make things go longer than originally planned.
Still, I'm glad that I was finally able to reveal how Hooligan Bunnie came to be! I wanted to show how someone like Bunnie could become a criminal if she didn't have Sally and Sonic in her life, while also taking into account that even pre-reboot, her parents weren't exactly the best. Still I was worried that I was making things too dark, but thankfully the consensus is that it's dark but not in an extreme way. Hope that still applies.
Hershey's parts are fun to write because I can inject some of the stuff I like from spy and crime works to set the scene. I wanted Hershey's flashback to be a bit film noir-like with some spy stuff injected, while taking into the account the events of Endgame to be her motivation. Gives me a lot to work with for her character, as does the reveal that Geoffrey was a spy. Special thanks goes to [USER=373330]Awareness Bringer[/USER] for catching continuity flub in an early draft and helping to make the scene better.
Anyways, hope you like! Please leave a review and add to the TV Tropes page!
Thanks for reading. Until next time.