"And how are all of you doing today?!" The dolphin girl dressed in a dark purple polo-shirt tucked into a pair of brown shorts asked as she stood a the head of the monorail car. "My name is Typhoon and I'll be your tour guide for today!"
"Hi, Typhoon!" One tourist, an enthusiastic human wearing a bright shirt with even brighter flowers emblazoned over it, shouted with a grin. Next to him, his son groaned and tried to sink into his seat.
He was the only one to respond out of the group of twenty.
Typhoon nodded, her chipper attitude not diminishing in the slightest. "Now, I want to thank you all again for joining the Studiopolis Legacy Tour! We have a great trip planned for all of you, taking you to every corner of the always bustling and fun Studiopolis!"
"I think I'm gonna die from second-hand embarrassment." Tangle chuckled next to Sally as they watched the increasingly uncomfortable tour group try to be polite to the dolphin tour guide. "Always hated tours. I mean, it's cool when you're on a trip through a cave or something but when it's a city? Come on."
"I think some people just like a bit of structure." Sally whispered back and tried hard not to grin herself. It was mean to find this funny, but she couldn't help it. It was just too obvious that the kids don't want to be here with their parents! "Plus, a lot of people don't want to get lost on their first trip to the city."
The original plan of getting into Studiopolis with the car was thrown out the window when they saw the almost jaw-dropping amount of traffic getting into the city. The GPS program on Whisper's phone, or 'app' as Tangle and Silver called it, said that it would take about two hours to get into the city.
So, instead Nicole directed them to a parking lot that was near a monorail. The price for parking was crazy, or at least according to Tangle, but they all conceded it was probably better than getting stuck in traffic.
Even if they had to make a trip with a tour group.
"I don't see what the problem is either." Nicole spoke up from her PDA at the lemur's hip. "I find it fascinating how they structure their trips. They chose an optimized route that exhibits the best parts of a location while also providing interesting summaries of their historical or cultural…"
"But getting lost is the fun part!" Tangle pointed out the window, towards the fast approaching city. "It lets you explore and find new things! Go to cool places that no tour could bring you! Go to…"
"Tangle." Whisper interrupted, standing up from behind Tangle's seat and tapping the lemur on the shoulder. "You're being too loud."
The lemur blinked and stared at the tour group, who were now all staring at her and all of the adults, including Typhoon, were giving her the stink eye. The kids, however, were staring at her gratefully. One even gave her a thumbs up!
"Hehe…" Tangle rubbed the back of her head and sank into her seat. "Sorry…"
Typhoon coughed and all heads began to turn to her. "Anyways! Now, I think as we get closer and closer to the city you should know a bit about its history! So, as you may have read about it was originally built by Eggman…" The car erupted into a bunch of boos and the dolphin held up her hands. "I know! I know! Not a great start! But all good things have to start from somewhere! Anyways, he created this city for the specific purpose of producing media glorifying him. Movies, TV shows, video games, music… all of the Eggman Empire's propaganda was produced here! Aided by the feared Cluckoid…"
The robian noticed that a human and a parrot mobian had actually noticed her and continued to stare at her with shock on their faces. The human woman was slack jawed, her eyes staring at Sally in disbelief while the parrot quickly looked back at Typhoon when he saw that the princess noticed him.
Sally sighed, turned her head, and adjusted her hood to hide more of her face.
"So much for that…"
It had been nice being treated like a hero at Autumn Leaves Village. And she knew that news about her existence and a few photos were probably spreading around. But the world was still a big place and not everyone was going to just accept a supposed badnik waking freely.
It was just going to take some time.
"So much for not causing a big scene…" Silver sighed from behind Sally. "Just ignore them, Sally."
"I know, Silver."
It was easier said than done.
"…But! Sonic was able to defeat both Eggman and the once-evil Cluckoid, freeing the trapped citizens from his control!" Typhoon shouted, pumping her fist into the air. "Now free, they were able to look around and see that they had all this infrastructure and equipment lying around. They couldn't let it go to waste! So they took what Eggman had left behind and forged it into something new! Studiopolis is no longer a machine that produces for evil! Now, it is a home to some of the world's greatest works in fiction! A producer of stories and of sounds that rivals even the United Federation's Hollywood!"
It was at that moment that the monorail entered the city, and Sally couldn't help but gape as she practically leaned over Tangle to stare out the window.
While the neon lights of Studiopolis were awe-inspiring from a distance, seeing them up close was a feast for the eyes. Hues of purples, reds, blues, and yellows were everywhere. If they weren't painted on the stone or steel faces of a building then they were flashing. Statelittes moved around on the top or sides of skyscrapers, signs proudly advertising businesses or products. A young human boy proudly held up a gaming counsel that looked like a white rectangle with the words VIRTUA BOX advertised in bright blue letters. A green-furred hedgehog woman wearing a dark punk suit was laying down and sipping on a martini in another billboard with the name PINK BOT written in cursive underneath her body.
There was even a billboard advertising KBC News, and a rooster badnik was staring out at with its metal beak open while wearing a suit and tie of all things. Next to it was a small blurb reading "Starring everyone's favorite and no longer evil badnik weatherman, Cluckoid!"
And she wasn't even getting started on the literal sea of people on the sidewalk below!
She'd visited cities before, such as the human-populated Station Square and that city in Zone full of superheroes like the ones in Tangle's comics. But it was never for long, or as mixed as what she saw below. Humans were walking around with mobians, moving to and fro carrying bags or running in business suits. Some were sitting at tables eating food that the princess had never seen before!
"Oh, cool!" Tangle shouted as she pressed her face closer to the window. "I think they're filming a new episode of Airboy over there!"
The lemur pointed further down the road and Sally saw a human behing carried on wires by a crane above a sectioned off portion of the street, wearing what looked like a jet pack and a red flight jacket that had a yellow V on the front. A mobian wolf was sitting at the top of a rather high chair labeled 'director' on the back, shouting something on a megaphone.
"Love that show! Even if the special effects are starting to look cheap!" Tangle shook her head and grinned. "Man, I'm glad I came here! Maybe I'll get an autograph from Matt Dustin!"
Sally couldn't say anything. She merely stared at it all as the monorail began to slow to a stop.
"Could we have had this… if Eggman had never taken over?"
"And now… you have arrived to Studiopolis!" Typhoon bowed as her tour group clapped. At the same time, the doors to the monorail opened and she motioned outside. "Now, if all of you will follow me! We'll take you to one of the lots our sponsor, Mammoth Studios, has…"
Saly blinked as she turned to the now leaving tour group. "Wait… Mammoth Studios?"
"Yeah. Enjoy your artsy movies!" Tangle stuck out her tongue as she got up and stretched. "Man, I thought we'd never get here!"
"You sure seem chipper for someone who threw up their guts not that long ago." Silver chuckled as he got out of Whisper's way while she got out of her seat.
"Don't remind me! Besides, I'm feeling a lot better now thank you very much!" She held out her hand to Sally and grinned. "Ready to explore, Sally?"
Nicole appeared in a small window of her vision. The holo-lynx was grinning from ear to ear, practically bursting with excitement as she nodded.
Honestly, it was infectious.
The robian took the lemur's hand and got up.
"You bet I am!"
Time to see what this new world had to offer!
The sound of car horns filled the air of the Ages Highway, the one road that led directly to Studiopolis.
Well, the sound of horns and swearing in various languages. Humans were also among the sea of islanders, trapped in their cars trying to get into the so-called City of Dreams.
Trapped just like the Marvelous Queen, the hoverbike owned by one Fang the Sniper. A technological wonder that he said he swiped from a laboratory somewhere, and an expensive one at that. Most of Fang's earnings on jobs went to the costly repairs, but he refused to trade it in for an actual car.
That was fine for Bunnie. After all, if her partner wanted to blow all his money on the thing then let him.
"Beeeep beep beep beep beep beep beep beep beep beep beep beep BEEP, be-HONK!" Bean sung out as he stood on the hood of his sidecar, flicking his fingers to and fro as if he were a maestro at a concert. "Beep beep beep bep~!"
"Would ya get down from there, you idiot?" Fang snarled out as he crossed his arms, practically grinding his teeth. "It's bad enough that we're stuck in this stupid traffic jam! I don't need you giving it a soundtrack!"
"Aw, come on!" Bean turned on his heel and grinned. "Don't tell me you hate the classics, Fang!"
"This wouldn't be a problem if you installed a radio on this lil' thing, Fang." Bunnie said dryly as she inspected her right hand's dark purple painted nails. Sure, it wouldn't grab the guys' attention considering she would be covering it up with the poncho and her limbs would be bigger attention-grabbers, but a girl had to pay attention to stuff like this. "Coulda played some real music."
Fang rolled his eyes. "Oh, like that country crap you like so much?"
She glared at the weasel. "It ain't crap! Ah'll have you know…!"
He held up his hands. "Whatever! I don't need to hear another sermon. Anyways, the guy I have said that he would have to tear the Marvelous Queens' guts out to install a radio or something with Bluetooth! And besides, Bean would've kept it up with his crap even if we had actual music playing."
Sure enough, the woodpecker was back to conducting his symphony without a care in the world.
The rabbit sighed and glanced back at the car hanging behind the air bike. "How you holdin' up, Bark?"
The polar bear merely shrugged and flipped through his comic book, one about that video game character Ristar he liked so much. Apparently the art was good and the human doing the writing had a bunch of love and passion for the series, but Bunnie couldn't see the appeal.
Who'd want to read comics about video game characters?
Bunnie shook her head and looked at the city. She frowned as she stared at Studiopolis, one of the 'big cities' that she had only heard whispers about when she was a little kid. Full of people, not just the True Folk but humans as well! A city full of sights and sounds and good food and…
"Daddy? Why don't we ever go to the city?"
"Because it's a place full of sin, baby girl. Made by madmen and the greedy who have forgotten what it's like to make an honest and true living."
"Sinners… like Uncle Beauregard?"
"One in the same, baby girl. So long as you steer clear of them you'll be one of the righteous."
Her mechanical left hand clenched into a fist.
"Damn it, Robert! Just let me take her to the city! Ah know a guy…!"
"Take her to the city?! So that they can pump her full of their heathen medicine?! You may have lost yourself, Beauregard Rabbot, but ah'll be damned before ah let you corrupt mah daughter!"
"Screw this!"
Fang's shout interrupted Bunnie's trip through memory late and made her look at the weasel as he pressed a button on the Marvelous Queen's dashboard. She felt the gravity change as they were lifted several feet above until they were now floating over the cars that lined the highway.
"Hey! That's not fair!" A cockatoo shouted, poking his head out of his car window and shaking his fist.
"Heheheh!" The sniper stuck his tongue out at the driver as he had the air bike fly over the traffic. "I have a flying bike and you don't! This is completely fair!"
"Whee!" Bean shouted, now laying on his stomach on the hood and pumping his fist forward. "Faster than a speeding bullet!"
"You are one lazy weasel, Fang." She said, a small smirk forming on her face.
Fang grinned back. "I'm not lazy where it counts, Bunnie. The sooner we get to the stupid city, the sooner we find that girl and get paid!"
Bunnie nodded at that and brought down the rim of her hat to block the sun from her eyes. "Ah agree with you on that front."
"And best of all, word up the grapevine is that ol' Fleet-feet isn't anywhere near the islands… and none of his little friends are in the area!" Fang threw back his head and laughed. "This is going to be an easy payday for the Hooligans!"
"Jinx!" Bean was suddenly on his feet and pointing accusingly at the weasel. "Jinx! You just jinxed us, Fang! How could you?! I thought you cared about the team!"
"Oh shut up!" The weasel shouted at the now sniffling and crying woodpecker. "I'm not jinxing us! I'm just stating a fact!"
Bunnie sighed and rested her cheek on her organic hand as they flew to the city.
"The sooner we get her, the sooner we get paid…"
She really hoped that was true.
Bunnie was tired of waiting.
"So cool…!"
Tangle knew she basically screamed 'tourist' to the locals.
But so what? Practically most of the people walking the streets were tourists!
Her eyes were wide as she stared at basically every part of the street they walked. All the neon buildings, satellites, and even windmills were brand new to the lemur.
It wasn't like she wasn't well traveled. She'd gone to tons of places ever since she began hanging out with Sonic and his friends! But while Central City was nice and modern, Studiopolis blew it out of the water.
It seemed like around every corner there was something new. Street vendors trying to sell their original or bootleg merchandise to the people walking the sidewalk, video screen billboards advertised stores and gave their exact address within the city, giant sculptures of mascots hung off of buildings that were actually the entire store…!
It was all so new to her.
"I can't believe this was a city Eggman built." Sally let out a chuckle as she looked around, a grin on her face as she walked beside Silver. "And Sonic kicked him out only three years ago?"
"Well, apparently most of the infrastructure was still intact so they wouldn't have to rebuild much." The hedgehog explained as he pointed to the buildings. "And then they invited human companies to come in, so they helped to rebuild and remodel the entire place so that they could produce movies and sell stuff."
"But what about the war?"
"Eggman kept it mostly the same." Whisper muttered, her mask now lowered to hide her face as she walked closely besides Tangle. "Forced all the actors and companies to produce for him. Created new propaganda."
"It was mostly stupid stuff." She moved her hand like a tail and waved it. "Like redoing movies but with him as the lead role! I mean, you should see Egg-Man! He's dressed up in spandex and everything! It was so bad that it's kind of funny!"
Heck, there were even watch parties where people put on the stupid Eggman movies and just ripped them apart. Supposedly it was cathartic? She just liked the jokes at the evil scientist's expense.
"…I don't see the appeal." Nicole chimed in from her hip. "Why would anyone want to watch them? He nearly conquered the world."
"People cope in their own ways." Silver shook his head. "Some prefer to just laugh at what happened."
Tangle glanced over to Sally, whose mouth was now a thin line while she kept her head down to obscure her face. "At least she's doing better."
She had felt guilty when Sally ran off after the whole nacho thing. She just wanted the robian to get out more and hang out in the open air, to feel at least somewhat normal rather than an outsider. And if people had a problem with her, then Tangle and the others could tell them to screw off!
But then the princess almost ate food, which would probably screw up her insides something fierce, and the lemur had only helped in making her friend feel worse.
Silver had said it was his fault for setting the nachos in front of Sally, but that didn't change how guilty Tangle felt about the whole thing. It was why she asked Whisper to follow Sally when she didn't come back. The wolf was a super cool mercenary girl so she'd have an easier time finding the robian, plus it meant that Tangle had more time to come up with an apology.
"Except she just came back… and was feeling better too!" The lemur couldn't help but grin. "Guess we can thank Rough and Tumble for something!"
Not only that, but Sally seemed to be at least somewhat enjoying her time in Studiopolis.
Even if she felt the need to hide herself.
"Gotta find some way for her to feel better…"
But the lemur's thought trailed off when she spotted a glass structure that made her eyes widen.
"No way…" She whispered and then pointed. "They actually have it!"
People were lined up to a three story tall glass rectangle that had a green and yellow metal tube leading inside of it. On the bottom of the glass were giant corn seeds that sat in place before the bottom began to shake. Soon, they began popping into giant pieces of popcorn that flew up before, in the center, a human was lifted into the air. As she screamed and laughed she grabbed onto a popcorn piece before she reached the top, where a man on a platform caught her and brought her safely to stable ground. She munched on her prize while walking down the stairs, joining the others who were exiting the ride. The remaining pieces were then carted off to a movie theater next door, likely so the patrons could eat them too.
Over the entrance was a picture of Sonic, grinning and waving his left index finger cockily while his right held a giant popcorn piece. Underneath the picture was the words 'SEGASONIC POPCORN SHOP'.
"Oh man, I've only heard about it!" Tangle couldn't help but grin to herself while giddily stomping in place. "They sell the biggest popcorn in the world, and they turned it into a ride! Oh man, I've gotta go!"
Oh, wait! Shoot, she's a dummy!
She nervously looked over to Sally, Whisper, and Silver and let out a nervous chuckle. "I-I mean, after we find Blaze. Your stuff is super important and…"
Sally merely shook her head and grinned. "No, it's fine. Just go ahead and check it out. Nicole will give you a notification if we manage to find her and you can go to our location."
"I mean, it's totally fine if you want us to stick around…"
"Tangle." Sally's voice suddenly grew a bit more stern, a voice that practically screamed 'mom'. "The last thing I want is for you to put my priorities first. Have fun! We're in a city you've never been in, right?"
"Yeah…"
"So go ahead!" She pointed at the machine. "Go on your ride. Just make sure you keep an eye and ear out for Blaze, okay?"
The lemur just stared at Sally. She… really meant all that? She was just fine with Tangle going off an having fun while she and the other played detective? "Darn. Thanks, Sally. But…" She sighed. "Now I feel guilty…"
"I'll go with her." Whisper suddenly said. "Keep her on track after the ride."
"Really?" Tangle asked, staring at the wolf. But she couldn't help but smile as well. "Thanks, Whisper!"
"Great!" The princess put both of her hands on her hips and nodded. "Then we'll keep walking around looking for clues. Have fun, girls!"
Silver looked at the ride and chuckled while shaking his head. "Man, people in the past sure liked getting on death traps…"
"The danger's half the fun!" But she still waved at both him and Sally as they left. The lemur then turned to Whisper, grinned, and took her hand. "Let's go!"
Whisper let out a cute squeak as they crossed the street and got into line.
The wait was super boring, even if it was only a couple of minutes. Whisper was actually super cool about the whole thing, even if she mostly stuck close to the lemur and avoided eye contact with anyone but her. But eventually they made their way to the dead-eyed squirrel that was manning the counter who looked at them up and down. "Age?"
"Fifteen!" Tangle proudly declared.
Whisper looked to the side. "Sixteen…"
The squirrel jotted something down before handing them both clipboards. "Sign here. This is certifying that the Segasonic Popcorn Shop is not responsible for any burns you may receive and…"
"Yeah, yeah. Blah, blah, blah…" Tangle sighed her name on the form and handed hers along with Whisper's back to the guy. "We've faced off against badniks and stuff, dude. We're not scared of some burns."
"Good for you." He thumbed over to the entrance. "Just stay in the circle."
They entered the dark passageway and saw a salamander wearing a hot pink shirt with the shop's logo directing them to a lit grate in the shape of a circle. Underneath was a fan, currently not moving. They stepped on and looked up, seeing the platform they would land on just above.
They could hear the hum of the heated lamps and the popping of corn. The smell of burnt popcorn and butter was filling the air…
"Alright you two, get ready for liftoff in three… two… one…" The salamander snapped his fingers and the fan whirled to life. Within seconds, they were floating up in the air practically weightless.
Whisper said nothing, but Tangle was laughing. This was so much fun! Sure, she'd flown before but this was new! It felt like she was flying and falling!
She looked around and saw the giant pieces of popcorn floating around them. "Mine!" She screamed, grabbing onto one while Whisper grabbed onto another. When they were close to reaching the top, the Lemur stretched out her tail and wrapped it around her friend's waist before bulling her close as the worked on the platform brought them both in.
"Thank you for visiting the Segasonic Popcorn Shop." The human worker said tonelessly. "Have a nice day…"
"You too!" Tangle gave the guy a salute and walked down the stairs. "Man, that was so much fun! I'm so glad we were able to do that! Plus…" The lemur took a bite of her popcorn. "I finally got some good food!"
"T-Tangle… Your tail…"
"Huh?" She looked behind her and saw her tail was still wrapped around the sniper, who was currently blushing up a storm. "Oh, right! Sorry!" She unwrapped it and chuckled. "Guess I sorta forgot."
"No, it's fine…" Whisper looked to the side and smiled. "I had fun too…"
Tangle blinked before grinning. "Good to hear!"
Whisper had come a long way from being uncomfortable with touching and avoiding most people.
The lemur was glad that she had been a part of that journey.
"Now…" Tangle pointed out to the city. "…let's go find a cat princess!"
"This… This is a ripoff!" Fang shouted while waving his fist at the bored rooster that was managing the booth. "It can't cost that much to park here!"
"Buddy, you can either take it or leave it." The man responded, looking completely bored and about ready to end his shift. "I guarantee you everyone will have rates just as bad if not worse."
The weasel growled. "Well, how about I…!"
The rooster ended the conversation by placing a handgun on the counter, his left index finger tapping meaningfully on the chamber.
The Hooligans stared at the gun.
The rooster stared back.
"I like this guy!" Bean shouted, giving the man a thumbs up.
Bunnie decided that now was the time to stop a potential bloodbath and being banned from another city. "Fang, just take the stupid ticket and let's get goin' already."
Letting out a curse, Fang snatched the piece of paper from the rooster's free hand and stomped away. "Razzin… frazzin… THIS SUCKS!"
"We could've been out looking earlier if you had just sucked it up and went to a parking lot earlier." She reminded her partner while adjusting her poncho, hiding both of her arms from view. "Ah know you like bein' a cheapskate in every area but where it counts, but with how much money we're supposed to get for the job it's a small price to pay!"
"That's not the point!" The sniper raised his index finger. "It's the principle of the thing, Bunnie! A man shouldn't have to pay that much money just to park the Marvelous Queen! That beauty should get free parking wherever it goes!"
She rolled her eyes. At times like this, Fang could be utterly ridiculous.
They walked out of the parking lot and looked around. Studiopolis was still full of people and neon lights, but now they were on foot rather than cruising along in the Marvelous Queen. For some reason, being here on foot just made the city feel slightly more awe-inspiring.
"Look at me now, Daddy." She thought bitterly while tapping her foot. "Look at me now…"
"So many shinies…" Bean whispered in awe, his eyes practically glittering. "I want them all…"
"Try anything stupid and you won't blow anything up." Fang reminded the woodpecker.
Bean merely stared at the weasel. "…You know I was going to do that anyway, right? You don't control me, Dad."
Bark snorted in amusement.
"Yeah, but you'll let the target know that trouble's a-comin'." Bunnie's lip quirked up in amusement. "Then you wouldn't get paid. And then ah would kill ya."
She was only half joking.
The mad bomber hummed while rubbing his beak. "Money is nice and helps me get more bombs. And I kinda need to live to make things blow up…" He nodded and saluted. "Right, boss and boss lady! I'll be on my bestest behavior!"
"Thank Gaia Below for small favors." Fang shook his head. "Alright, ya mooks. Here's the plan. We split up and start lookin' for this girl. As soon as any of us hear anything we let the rest know and keep the target in our sights. As soon as we're all in the same area…" He grinned and smashed his fist into his open palm. "We get her! Any objections?"
"Nope!"
"No complaints from me."
Bark just shook his head.
"Alright!" Fang pointed out to the bustling Studiopolis. "Hooligans, time to move!"
They split up in opposite directions. Bunnie scanned the crowd before spotting a nervous looking rabbit who seemed unsure as to where he was supposed to go.
"Bet he's hopin' to see a pretty and friendly face."
Grinning, she walked over and smiled at the now startled rabbit.
"Evenin' sugah." She brought up her organic hand and lifted her hat slightly to show off more of her face. "You're lookin' a bit lost! I'd be happy to help if you just do me one teensy favor…"
The Hooligans each had their own job. Fang was the sniper who got them jobs. Bean was a mad woodpecker who blew up whatever needed blowing up, be they objects or people. Bark was the muscle who could be sweet when the time called for it.
Bunnie?
She was the friendly face.
And sometimes that was all that was needed for her to get in close and wrap her metal fingers around their targets.
"The world isn't a nice place. It's two faced."
It was a lesson she had learned years ago.
It was a lesson she bitterly took to heart.
"Damn it, Taika! I hate wearing this stupid thing!"
"Come on, Batterson! It was either this or the practical helmet!"
"An actual helmet would've been better than this mo-cap thing!" The human ripped off the headpiece lined with green dots and stomped down the road, which had buildings covered by green sheets of paper. A small sign on the blockade indicated filming was being done for Sonic Man 4: City Escape. "I'll be in my trailer!"
It was honestly fascinating to watch. Nicole had only heard of actors, but those were mostly from plays and whatever movies the Freedom Fighters were able to dig up during supply runs. They played not as themselves, but as characters to tell a story.
She knew they had lives. They weren't truly the characters they played on the stage or screen. She even had records of said lives in her files.
But seeing them up close and acting so… ordinary was a bit of a surprise.
"Sonic has movies made about him? And played by humans?" Sally asked Silver in a whisper.
"Yeah, I don't know why either." The hedgehog responded with a nervous grin. "I think he got some money for selling his movie rights after beating Eggman the first time? But then the studio execs thought that a movie about him wouldn't sell so they made Sonic a human superhero. The first two were kinda bad, but the third one was funny because they pointed out how stupid the premise was. But from what I've seen about the fourth movie…"
Silver shook his head, gave a thumbs-down, and blew a raspberry.
Both Sally and Nicole giggled at that, but the holo-lynx felt as if she should have a serious talk with Sonic regarding his brand image when he got back.
"But more importantly…" She observed their surroundings through Sally's visual feed and frowned. "…Still no Blaze."
They had been walking around for about three hours, but they hadn't found a single hair or whisker of Blaze the cat. Silver had even asked around regarding any visiting royalty, and had gotten nothing from his endeavors.
If Blaze was here, then she was keeping a low profile.
THIS CITY IS TOO BIG… She muttered to Sally inside of her head. IT MIGHT TAKE US DAYS TO FIND HER.
"Yeah, I know. I'm getting kind of annoyed too." Sally crossed her arms as the local police began to direct the crowd down alternate routes around the set. "I thought it would be easy! Just find a place where a lot of people are and she would be there. But…"
But it seemed there was something going around every other block. Some famous actor or director walking around with fans and paparazzi crowding around them, a movie or TV show being filmed, and some sort of street fair of some kind. It was near lunacy to Nicole! Where was the organization?
But at the same time, she couldn't help but feel excited. She had never seen this many people before, not even in New Mobotropolis! And all of them so lively and even happy.
And best of all, she wouldn't be alone.
Even if Sally or Tangle somehow dropped her, there would be people around her. The neon lights would make sure she would never be in darkness again…
Nicole blinked inside Sally's head and grimaced. No, what was she doing thinking about that? That wasn't important!
"Nicole? Are you okay?"
…I'M TRYING TO BE. She admitted. FOR NOW LET'S JUST FOCUS ON OUR SEARCH.
"I wish Blaze kept a cellphone." Silver muttered as he stared at his phone's screen. "But apparently they aren't big in the Sol Dimension and she never saw the appeal. Especially when she can just teleport from her Zone to where she wants to go in ours."
"That is convenient." The robian looked around. "But not so much for us. There has to be an easier way to do this…"
Nicole looked at a single parked van that had the words HORNET TV emblazoned on the side with an antenna on the top. It was transmitting data to another location, so maybe…
SALLY, I HAVE AN IDEA. Nicole put a visual marker on the van. BRING YOUR BODY OVER THERE. I CAN SEARCH THROUGH THE CITY FOR BLAZE IF I CAN STREAM MYSELF THROUGHOUT THE CITY.
"Really? You can do that?"
OF COURSE! But then nervousness set in. The concert… the venom spat out by the people who distrusted her… the hate… it all came back to the holo-lynx. I-I PROMISE NOT TO LOOK FOR LONG! I WOULD NEVER INVADE SOMEONE'S PRIVACY! I PROMISE….
"Nicole, it's fine." Sally said audibly while tapping on the Hedgehog's shoulder. "I trust you."
Something inside Nicole warmed at those words. Sally meant them from the bottom of her heart.
The two walked over to the van and Sally nonchalantly leaned against its side, crossing her arms. "Okay, go for it!"
Nicole allowed her data to stream out and into the van. Transferring her consciousness into the data stream, the holo-lynx rode it into the satellite it was transmitting to before seeing all the paths she could take. Choosing the nearest one, she beamed down towards it and allowed her image to appear on several TVs displayed behind a glass window. Silver and Sally noticed her and waved, with her smiling and waving back. Then, she disappeared and began her search.
It was amazing how many devices had cameras and microphones. Even more amazing was the fact that these devices had hidden programs that allowed their data to be transmitted to a location she was pretty sure none of them knew about. So while she went through each device and took a peek through the cameras, she eliminated the program.
She was a Freedom Fighter. The last thing she wanted was for anyone to spy on people.
It took about five minutes before she spotted a cat that fit the photo of Blaze in her memory.
Rather than being dressed in her regal clothes from the Sol Dimension, the purple-furred cat was dressed in a pair of dark purple shorts and a white t-shirt that had 'I LOVE STUDIOPOLIS' on the center with a heart symbol in place of the word love. She still wore her white gloves with fluffy cuffs and rose, but high-heeled shoes were replaced with more casual dark-purple sneakers.
Blaze was bouncing on one of the Bouncy Checkpoints, giving a very un-princess like laugh as she did so. She was actually enjoying herself!
"…Now I feel guilty."
"Hey, what's with this lynx on the billboard?" Someone from the street shouted while pointing up. "She a mascot or something?"
Cursing, Nicole noted the location and transferred her data back to the origin point. She flew out of the van and back into Sally. I FOUND HER!
"Really?!" Sally shouted, getting up and fixing her sweater. "Where?"
Nicole placed a visual marker on Blaze's location and said, HURRY! SHE'S LIKELY TO MOVE IN THE NEXT FEW MINUTES.
"Right!" Sally began to run. "Send a message to Tangle and Whisper! Let's go, Silver!"
"On it!" The hedgehog began to float and fly after Sally, the two matching pace as they weaved through Studiopolis' crowds.
Within moments they reached the Bouncy Checkpoint ride, coincidentally just as soon as Blaze was leaving. "Blaze!" Silver shouted, relief on his face as he came to a stop beside Sally. "It's great to see you!"
The cat stopped in place and looked at Silver, her face draining of color as she stuttered out, "S-Silver! What are you doing here?" She seemed to remember what she was wearing and hugged herself. "T-This is, um… I was merely blending in with the locals and…"
"Right…" The hedgehog scratched his cheek and looked away, his face turning red. "I-I know you're on vacation, but…"
Sally, for her part, seemed to recover quickly and stepped forward. "Princess Blaze, I'm sorry for interrupting your vacation but I… I really need your help."
Blaze's eyes registered Sally, specifically Sally's face, and her eyes widened. "A badnik…?"
"No, she's not a badnik!" Silver shouted, his hands raised as if to calm her down. "This is Princess Sally Acorn! She's… well…"
Nicole decided now was the time to reveal herself. Projecting from Sally, she curtsied and said, "My name is Nicole. Sally and I are from this Zone… and yet we are not." She looked into Blaze's eyes and asked, "Tell me… do the words Super Genesis Wave mean anything to you?"
Blaze's confused and shocked eyes suddenly turned cool and calm. Forgetting her own embarrassment she stood tall and asked, "How is it that you know those words?" She shook her head. "Nevermind. We should speak privately about this. However…" The corner of her lip quirked up. "…I believe I should change into more appropriate attire first."
Despite the situation, Nicole couldn't help but smile. "That would probably be for the best, yes."
"It was crazy!" Tangle shouted from her end of the table. "We were just walking around, minding our own business, when we just bumped into this big bull guy! I didn't recognize him, but Whisper did! It turned out to be that director she likes! The one that made that movie about the human ghost haunting a bomb or something."
"It's a beautiful movie." Whisper took a sip of her tea, her cheeks turning red while the wisps around her giggled. "Favorite one."
Silver took a sip of his coffee and looked around the small cafe that was inside the rather ritzy Kiryu Hotel. Thankfully, the place that Blaze was staying at hadn't been that far away and they simply relocated there. The princess then went up to her room to change while the three had gotten a table and were joined shortly by the lemur and wolf.
Right now they were just passing the time hearing what Tangle and Whisper had gotten up to while they were searching for Blaze.
"Right. So anyways, she's ready to turn around and run. But I saw how much she liked the guy so I just went up and asked for him to give her an autograph." The lemur grinned. "And you know what? He did! Said that he understood what it was like being shy and feeling out of place and gave her a signed copy of the movie Whisper likes so much!"
The wolf nodded and lifted up a small bag that she had. "Thank you, Tangle."
"Well, at least you guys had a good time." Honestly, Silver felt a bit jealous. This was the era where a bunch of classic actors and directors were alive, whose works were now considered treasures in his time. If Silver had a chance he'd be running around getting autographs too!
Well, not that he would show it to anyone in the future. If he did he'd probably be asked more than a few questions.
Likely in a station.
By some very angry law enforcement and lawyers of some estates.
"Yeah. But still, it was getting kind of annoying since we couldn't find Blaze." The lemur let out a sigh and smiled at Nicole, whose projection was sitting in one of the seats of the round table. "At least Nicole showed her stuff and got the job done!"
The holo-lynx blushed at the praise. "It was nothing. However, I wish I hadn't needed to do that." She let out a sigh. "People are rather… adamant about their right to privacy. Even if it is for the best of intentions, violating it will lead to consequences. Consequences that are…"
The holo-lynx clammed up at that, and the hedgehog sighed. He, or at least the one that had existed in the previous world, heard some of Nicole's situation second-hand. About how the Iron Dominion had invaded New Mobotropolis and their leader, the Iron Queen, had taken control of Nicole for a time. She used the holo-lynx to help in her takeover and, even though Sonic and his friends had freed her, the damage had been done to Nicole's reputation. Nobody truly felt safe in the city that was formed with her nanites.
Honestly, that concert by Mina Mongoose was simply the straw that broke the camel's back. Even if Ixis Naugus had manipulated things.
In Silver's time, privacy was kind of a thing of the past. It was sorta expected and grudgingly acknowledged that both companies and the government were spying on their citizens. Heck, it was happening even during this time period.
"Still doesn't change how it's screwed up." Silver looked over to Sally, who was putting her hand on Nicole's chair and looking at her friend with soft eyes. "But she shouldn't feel terrible about it. She didn't have to learn about how the people actually felt like that. If they had just talked it out…"
Well, he guessed that it was all in the past now.
Figuratively and literally.
"My apologies for keeping you waiting."
Silver turned and saw Blaze walk towards the empty chair, once again dressed in her sleek and regal purple tailcoat with the rose trim at the bottom and gold collar. The white leggings she wore matched her gloves and her rose high-heeled shoes clicked with every step she took.
Honestly, it was a total one-eighty from the casual clothes she wore just before.
She pulled out her chair and sat herself down, back straight and her fingers steepled. Her body language just screamed royalty, even if she wasn't one in this Zone.
"Ms. Acorn." She looked to Sally and asked, "Tell me again, how do you know about the Super Genesis Wave."
Sally, for her part, seemed to fall back on those lessons she got from her family. She matched Blaze's body language and stared at her fellow princess in the eyes. "Only what Eggman, the Eggman I knew, told me. How he and someone named Albert were going to reshape reality to their vision. I don't know much besides that. However, I do know that the world we're in…" She hesitated for a second before continuing. "…it's different from the one I know. And from what Silver told me, this is my Zone."
Blaze glanced at Silver, her eyebrow quirked up in curiosity. "You knew about it as well?"
"No." He admitted with a shake of his head. "At least not until recently, when I regained my memories. It…" He put his hand on his head. "I have incomplete information. It's all kind of jumbled up near the end."
Everything before the Death Egg was more or less clear, even if trying to dredge up memories from the previous timeline was headache-inducing. But when he got into the Death Egg… everything was kind of a blur. He remembered helping Sonic take out Mecha Sally, he remembered the white light, but…
The hedgehog's head throbbed and he cursed. What was going on with him?
"So you regained your memories of the previous timeline…" The cat put her hand on her chin. "Interesting… and unprecedented. How is this possible?"
"With this!" Tangle held up Nicole's PDA. "Silver touched this and then just suddenly got all his memories from the world that came before!"
Blaze's eyes honed in on the PDA before widening. "I can see why! That device… it contains the energy from the Genesis Wave! I… I knew I felt something odd but now I can sense it!"
Wait, so he got back his memories because he got zapped from reality-bending energy?
Honestly, it made as much sense as everything else in his life.
"Wait!" Sally stared at the otherworldly princess in astonishment. "You knew about all this?"
"Indeed." Blaze nodded. "My memories of the events prior to the Super Genesis Wave are more or less intact."
Everyone at the table gaped at her. Honestly, Silver's jaw felt as if it was going to fall to the floor.
All this time… Blaze knew that the 'reboot' had happened?
"Why?" Sally asked, her voice shaking only slightly. "Why didn't you say anything…?"
"I'll be completely frank." The princess of the Sol Dimension looked slightly ashamed as she said, "I never visited this Zone for long periods of time, nor did I interact with many of its inhabitants other than Sonic, Shadow, Amy, and Cream. Sonic never talked much about his home… other than some form of monarchy ruled it. Cream mentioned once that Sonic had a girlfriend named Sally, but matters regarding my friend's romantic life and this Zone's politics weren't my biggest concern at the moment."
"So you never realized something was up when you came back here…" Tangle looked hesitatingly at Sally before continuing. "…Because you never knew that much about the place."
"Indeed." Blaze nodded. "Prior to the Super Genesis Wave, me and Silver along with several others had been captured by Eggman and Dr. Albert Wily…"
Whisper looked up. "Who?"
The cat's eyes narrowed. "A madman from another Zone. They roboticized us…"
"Wait! Wait…" Silver massaged his temples. "Pretty sure I would remember getting roboticized."
"I don't blame you for not remembering." A waiter came over and brought Blaze a cup of tea. She took it and sipped the cup. "I likely would not have remembered if it weren't for my connection with the Jeweled Scepter."
"Oh great." The hedgehog thought tiredly. "More memories from a timeline I only just remembered."
"Sonic and his ally, Mega Man I believe his name was, helped to free us and we aided them in trying to stop the doctors." Blaze continued, her eyes closing. "They launched the Super Genesis Wave, and… and then I found myself back in the Sol Dimension. Sleeping on the sofa in Marine's ship quarters. She… she said I had always been there and we were on a mission destroying some pirates. I had asked her to bring me back to the palace and I went to the Jeweled Scepter. But when I looked through it I saw…"
Her hands clenched into fists.
"So many worlds… All of them were gone. Whatever those two madmen did… it shattered the very multiverse. Only a few Zones remained…"
"So the multiverse does still exist!" Sally shouted, looking from Blaze to Silver. "But he said…!"
"Silver operates with incomplete information, given to him second-hand from Sonic's adventures as written in history." Blaze glanced over to Silver and gave him an apologetic look. "Do not blame him, Ms. Acorn. He only told you what he did know."
It didn't make him feel any better.
Heck, it just made him feel worse.
"I told them this and Blaze's dimension were the only Zones!" He cursed himself. "Damn it! Why the hell did I say that?!"
"I checked my family's records. Asked questions regarding the state of the empire… nothing had changed." The princess of the Sol Dimension sighed. "I theorized that the Jeweled Scepter had shielded my home from the effects of the Super Genesis Wave. I had assumed that Sonic and his ally had succeeded in saving their Zones from the Super Genesis Wave as well."
"But you never went to check on Sonic?" Sally asked, her eyes narrowing at Blaze. "To see if our home was still the same?"
Blaze gave the robian a sharp look. "I had my own duties as guardian of my Zone and of the Sol Emeralds! I…!" But the harshness in the tone softened, and the glare smoothed out. She looked down and her shoulders only slightly slumped. "…I'm truly sorry. I am only one woman, Ms. Acorn. I… I simply trusted my friends. It was all I could do."
And that was the horrible truth about it.
Blaze was cool, a powerful guardian that acted as basically her Zone's combination of both Sonic and Knuckles. She guarded not just the Sol Emeralds but the Jeweled Scepter, the thing that helped keep the multiverse running. A princess of an empire that ruled her Zone.
But she was still a kid. An ordinary teenager in spite of her extraordinary powers and status.
Like them.
"…But then why are we here?" Nicole asked, causing all eyes to turn on her. "Why are me and Sally here? How did we not get erased from existence?"
"I truly do not know." The cat shook her head. "There is much about the multiverse that remains a mystery to me, even with the Jeweled Scepter. And the effects of the Super Genesis Wave distorted time and space to such a degree that we could only theorize."
"But what about our home?" Sally asked in a whisper. She was intertwining her fingers and looking down at the table. "If the multiverse still exists, then so does our home, right? So… so even if this world got rebooted then…"
"…No." Blaze gave the robian princess a pitying look. "Even if a Zone exists that is remarkably similar to the one you knew, a version of you will have always lived there. She would be living there and living her life."
"There would be no place for you." Was the unspoken message in that statement.
For a second, Silver was sure that Sally would burst into tears.
Hell, Nicole looked about ready to do just that.
Instead, the robian chipmunk stayed still for a few seconds. Tangle looked as if she was ready to ask if Sally's was alright, only for Whisper to put her hand on her friend's shoulder.
Slowly, Sally lifted her head and he saw that black tears were indeed at the corners of her eyes.
But she didn't look completely shattered.
"…Yeah." Sally dabbed at her eyes with a napkin and muttered, "I figured as much."
"I'm sorry." Blaze said in a soft voice. "If I could help you, I would. But…"
Sally raised her hand, stopping her fellow princess' words in her throat.
"Don't. I know there isn't much you can do. I don't think there's much anyone can do here." A bitter laugh came from Sally's throat. "Guess we really are stuck here, huh?"
Nobody really had anything to say to that.
Nicole looked at Blaze before her eyes darted to her PDA. "…You can sense the Super Genesis Wave's energy?"
"Partly." Blaze massaged her right temple. "Its energy is somewhat similar to that of the Jeweled Scepter. However, it is more… distorted. I'm unsure how to describe it. But." She glanced at Tangle. "I did note when we first met, Tangle, that you didn't feel quite like Sonic or his friends. I didn't truly understand why until just now."
"Because I wasn't born in the previous world, right?" The lemur shrugged. "Kinda figured."
"Yes. That's exactly right." The cat looked at Whisper. "You seem to be taking this well."
"Have to at this point." The wolf replied as she sipped her soda.
…Honestly, Silver was kind of jealous about the two's acceptance of all this.
"Then perhaps you can aid us." Nicole smiled softly. "We're attempting to find our friends, those who also had come to this new timeline. Or have been…" She hesitated slightly. "…rebooted. We could use your abilities in our search."
For a second, Blaze was quiet. Then, she let out a sigh and gave a tired smile. "…I suppose I'm cutting my vacation short, aren't I?"
"…You'll help?" Sally stared at the cat. "Just like that?"
"…I will admit that I have my own reasons for aiding you." Blaze admitted, glancing over to Silver for a brief second before looking back at her fellow princess. "But I will aid you. I had ignored the effects the wave had on my friend's home for too long." She stretched out her hand towards the robian. "I look forward to working with you, Princess Sally Acorn."
"…" The robian princess got up and shook the hand. "Me too, Princess Blaze."
Silver grinned. "Thanks a bunch, Blaze."
For a strange second, he thought that he could feel the cat give him a silent welcome.
"Hey!" Tangle shouted, making all turn to her. "If we're going to be heading out, why not spend the night having some fun?"
"Fun?" Both Sally and Blaze raised their eyebrows. "How?"
The lemur merely grinned.
"Well… there is this cool club nearby!"
"Still not sure about this…"
Mina glanced at the main star of tonight's show, cracked3GG, as he reclined on the couch in the break room. He was an Over… no, a human who was dressed fairly casually. A white t-shirt with a completely blue logo that looked like Sonic's head that matched his faded jeans. The only thing that stood out about him was that he was wearing a rather huge mask that was shaped like the head of an Egg Pawn. Though modifications had been made to it, like how the 'teeth' were now lined with red neon lights which flashed with the red X marks where the eyes should be. There was even a crack on the top and gold was welded next to it to give the illusion that it was leaking.
"What's there to be worried about?" Her 'manager', a rat named Dibbler who wore a brown suit, asked as he rubbed his hands smiling at the 'superstar'. "You said she was great during your little sesh!"
"Yeah, I guess. For a first timer." The human flipped through the music and lyric notes for the performance. "But still… I don't know this girl! One session isn't enough practice, and this house is supposed to be packed!"
That, she could get. The Forget Me Knots had to practice weeks in advance for their shows, days at the minimum. Practicing a night before was just asking for trouble. Mistakes could be made and the entire performance could fall apart.
The man was worried about his career. Even if she didn't like his music, his fans obviously did and he didn't want to disappoint them.
They had come to hear him, after all. Not her.
"Also, the lyrics are also good but they were still made yesterday! Shouldn't we get them proofread or…?"
"Look, I get ya." Dibbler grinned from ear to ear. "But Mina here is a professional! Handpicked by Mr. Mogul himself! She's got the chops and the voice! All she needs is a stage and she'll take off!"
The performer shook his false head and motioned to Mina. "Also, what's with that crap you're making her wear?"
Honestly, her bandmates and even Ash would probably be asking the same thing.
Her long purple hair had been cut short and was now put to her shoulders. But the locks were also split into four and were gelled up so that they could look like spikes. Same went for her front locks, but the spikes were sticking up as if they were bent nails.
Rather than her usual outfit, she was now wearing a band jacket that was mostly purple but had four green lines running horizontally and green buttons down the front. On the jacket's shoulders were pauldrons that were spiked and curled up at the ends. The jacket was open and showed cracked3GG's logo, identical to Eggman's symbol but with crosses at the eyes and yolk leaking out of a cracked top. Her gloves were now a dark purple while her boots were a dark green, which matched the dark green shorts that she now wore.
"I feel ridiculous."
"It's all part of her brand!" The rat cooed out, rubbing his hands. "It's gonna be a big part of her shows from now on! Pseudo punk outfits, each wilder and more unique than the last! Gonna give her fans an experience during live shows, lemme tell you that much!"
If cracked3GG was about to say something, it was interrupted when the door to the break room was thrown open and a haggard racoon mobian popped his head out. She sound of screaming fans filled the air as he shouted, "cracked3GG! You're on in five!"
The performer groaned and shook his head. "Damn it…" He got onto his feet and put his hands on his hips, stretching. "Guess we're doing this. Remember, when I finish with ABC you're up." With that, the human opened the door and followed the racoon out.
When the door closed, Dibbler turned around and glared at Mina. "You better not screw this up." He hissed out, waving his finger in Mina's nose. "Mogul wants me to make some no-name like you a star, so you better knock those idiots' socks off!"
"Because he'll kill you if I don't, right?" She asked in a tired and empty voice.
By the look of pure fear that the rat gave, she was right on the money. "Don't screw with me, you no-name b-!"
"I'll do the job. I'll sing the song. I'll go out in this stupid outfit." She closed her eyes and said, "Just leave me alone."
Dibbler growled, but said nothing. Instead he just turned on his heel and stomped out of the room, slamming the door behind him.
Leaving her alone.
Mina looked into the mirror and saw the thing she truly was.
"This is what I deserve."
A product. A bystander. A doll for who could only sing to others' tune.
Slowly, she got up and walked outside. She ignored the stagehands moving about as she walked over to the edge of the stage, looking out at the sea of people just below the platform where cracked3GG pressed buttons on his computer and pulled leavers on the panel he was standing behind.
Strobe lights were flashing pinks and purples through the dark and foggy air of the club. Broken badniks hung from the ceiling, missing parts and with cracked heads with fake yolk leaking out. Humans and mobians were jumping, pumping their fists into the air and in some cases even grinding against each other. Some were sober, some drunk. This was not the Juice Joint. People came here to truly lose themselves and become one with the music.
It was like her concerts, but different.
A part of her was even scared.
"What's the use of being scared? This is my life now."
The song came an end and the lights turned off.
It was her cue.
The human performer pressed some buttons on his computer as she walked to the center of the stage. Mina closed her eyes as the music started. Synthetic sounds that were like an electric guitar filled the air. She lightly tapped her foot while waiting for her music cue.
It came.
She opened her eyes and began to belt out the lyrics, her fist pumping into the air with each word while a blue spotlight shined on her
"I SAID THAT SHE WAS THE CULPRIT!
I LIKED THE SCREAMS AND THE CRIES BUT SHE SAID!
WE CALLED HER A MACHINE BUT WE'RE THE PUPPET!
I STOOD IN PLACE AND MY EYES ALMOST BLED!"
"She was in full control while we were gone. And she kept up the act to protect as many as possible. She saw all the legionizing firsthand. And she was at your concert."
Heavy electronic beats filled her ears as she banged her head up and down, clutching her fist while leaning to the right as she screamed,
"WE REJEC-TED YOU!
WE DES-PISED YOU!
I WATCHED THEM ALL BETRAY YOU!
RESTLESS NIGHTS, SCARED TO LEAVE!
MUSIC BECAME MY A-GO-NY!"
"She helped to capture and legionize mobians!"
She strutted from across the stage, reaching her hand out to the spotlight while the cheering filled the air. The crowd was already going crazy.
"I HAD ANOTHER NIGHT TO SEE!
I CREATED A CITY THAT'S FULL OF!
ALL THE BROKEN THINGS THAT I MADE!
WHEN I WENT OUTSIDE TO PLEA!
ALL I FOUND WAS A WORLD FULL OF!
ALL THE VICTORIES YOU HAD UNMADE!"
"I… I did the right thing, didn't I Ash? I… They didn't have to be scared anymore. They needed to know they could ask questions and…!"
"Yeah, you did! Don't doubt yourself, Mina. Those guys at the restaurant are just idiots. This was more than just Nicole."
Her foot tapped on the stage as she waited for her cue before she pointed at random parts of the crowd. A lemur was jumping up and down, her right arm wrapped around the waste of a wolf wearing a mask. A gray-furred hedgehog was shouting something at his cat friend or date, but they could barely hear each other. Someone with ther hood on was bopping their head with the beat of the song.
"WE LIKE TO DANCE BUT SHE HAS REAL FIRE!
WE ARE MADE OF FLESH BUT SHE IS A LIVE-WIRE!
WE CALL HER A MONSTER BUT WE ARE UGLIER!
WE JUST RUN OFF TO THE NEWEST SATIS-FIER!"
"YAY! NAU-GUS! NAU-GUS! NAU-GUS!"
Mina grit her teeth and channeled her anger into her head bangs.
"COURSE-COR-REC-TION!
REVERSE IN-SUR-REC-TION!
FREEDOM GOT AN IN-FEC-TION!
TYRANTS GET OUR PRAIS-ING!
IN RETURN WE'RE BEHAV-ING!"
"Ash! This isn't what I wanted! Why aren't they saying anything?! They're… they're just accepting him as king!"
"I-I don't know! I don't get it either!"
She now stood in place and pumped her fists into the air as the strobe lights were flashing around.
"ABOUT-FAC-ING!
HEADS LOW-ER-ING!
YELLOW BELLIES ARE SPREAD-ING!
GOOD PEOPLE ARE SCREAM-ING!
GIRLS AND BOYS ARE CHEAR-ING!"
"Hear me, people of New Mobotropolis! Your heroes… have failed you! You live now because of me! And it shall be through your faith that the natural order of things shall be restored!"
"NO! Stop it! Stop cheering! This isn't right! He's lying! He has to be!"
Mina glared at the crowd and stomped her foot. The hooded figure was now pumping its fist into the air, now joining the sea of partygoers.
"KINGLY DECREES!
ON OUR HANDS AND KNEES!
MEMORIES ARE TOR-TUR-ING!
BAT-FACED KING!
NO RESCUE TEAM!
DON'T DE-SERVE YOUR DREAM!"
"Damn it, Ash! Why did you cut our sound?! We need to tell them! We need to make them remember that they have the power, not hi-!"
"MINA, SHUT UP! Don't you realize you almost got yourself and the rest of us killed?! There… there's no point to this! We just need to keep our heads down and we'll be safe!"
She walked to the edge of the stage and reached up to the light.
She could almost see them.
All of them.
Before she helped to mess everything up.
Mina's mind flashed to Nicole as she sang.
"GIVE ME A SIGN YOU'RE HERE!
INSIDE A NEW WORLD THAT WAS MADE FROM!
ALL THE SINS THAT I MADE!
I CAN ONLY PRAY THAT YOU HEAL!
YOU DESERVE A NEW LIFE IN A WORLD MADE FROM!
ALL THE MISTAKES I MADE!"
"Guys!"
"Just run, Mina! This is your only chance! Go out there and find Sonic! Tell him we're here! Tell him…!"
The rock star turned puppet went on her knees as she looked at the audience. The hooded figure was now jumping, totally lost in the music and banging her head to the song.
A song that would come to an end.
The first step to Mina's new life as Mogul's puppet yet again.
"YOU ARE A LIGHT, I FINALLY SEE!
A NEW LIFE THAT WANTED TO BE A PART OF!
A CITY OF HATE THAT I HELPED MAKE!
THE SONG HAD A HEFTY FEE!
IT WAS JUST ANOTHER REMINDER OF!
ALL THE PARTS OF ME THAT ARE FAKE!"
As the last few notes blared out, the hood fell off of the dancer and Mina saw it.
The head… of a robian.
Not just any robian either.
That face… the hair… they were made of pure metal, but it was the one that belonged to the one person who confronted Mina after the concert and told her the truth. That told her about the betrayal that was the result of all her good intentions.
As the lights turned off and the earpiece fell out, Mina whispered one word.
"…Sally?"
To Be Continued…
Notes: Man, I'm probably not going to be writing an even semi-original song for Mina again. That was brutal…
I used Professional Griefers by deadmau5 and Gerard Way as a base for Mina's song, but even doing that made me realize how I was not built for a songwriter. Damn Alan Moore for making this look easy with his AU Sympathy for the Devil. All credit goes to the original singer/songwriters.
Oh, and in case you didn't know Typhoon was my little homage to the fan comic Sonic Legacy's Tempest the Dolphin. Go check it out because the art is awesome.
Anyways, hope you all enjoyed that chapter! Lots of stuff happening and Multiverse bullshit to unpack! Hopefully I was able to put it down in a way for people to understand! Blaze is kind of fun to write. She's so serious but secretly silly.
Be sure to review and add to the TV Tropes page!
Until next time…