"Mina! Mina, you're back!"
Whisper stiffened and turned her head to see four figures approaching them. Three of them were children: a bear and tiger cub as well as a kitten. The bear was wearing a pair of blue shorts, the cat a green sleeveless vest and brown boots, and the tiger a sleeveless blue vest. Behind them was an elderly brown and tan female woodchuck with grey head fur that she had tied in a bun. She wore blue dress with gold/yellow linings, and a red cape with a hood.
Mina's eyes instantly brightened when she saw the children. She bent down and opened her arms shouting, "Rory! Snaggle! Sasha!" The trio of children leapt forward and the young woman enveloped them into a hug. "Oh man, I've missed you guys!"
"Huh." Silver scratched the side of his head. "Guess Mina's popular with kids."
The wolf merely nodded and stared at the scene as tears formed at the corner of the musician and children's eyes. To be honest, it didn't really shock her. Mina seemed like the type who would get along with kids. She shared that with Tangle, who regaled her and Jewel with the tale of saving the Sonic Fan Club with Sonic and then hanging out with them for the rest of the day.
"Though she seemed to be hiding something about that particular adventure."
"W-We missed you too, Mina!" The kitten, a girl judging from her voice, sniffled. "W-We heard you left to get help but when you didn't come back we were so worried! We thought that jerk face king got you and… and…!"
Whisper couldn't help but give a wince of sympathy as a pained look appeared on Mina's face. "Right. She had originally left the city to find Sonic…"
She couldn't imagine what was going through the mongoose's head right now.
How could she even break it to the kids that, for a time, she hadn't had the will to actually ask for that help?
"I…" The mongoose winced. "I was…"
Suddenly, light flashed from the wispon on Mina's back and Bowie flew out. He flew in between Mina and the children, raising one of his tentacles and waving.
"Hi kids!" Bowie said through her mask's translator. "Nice to meet you! I am the wisp that this wonderful Mongoose saved!" It touched itself with the tentacle and said in a rather smug voice. "Can call me by my name, Bathan Owen Wein Igot Eskan the Eighteenth! Unlike those old timers with the wolf, I'm…"
"WOW!" The bear shouted, letting go of Mina and staring at the magenta wisp in wonder. "What is that?!"
"Is that a toy?" The tiger reached out and tried to grab Bowie, who flew away. "It looks so cool!"
"H-Hey!" Bowie shouted indignantly. "Don't just grab me like that! I'm sensitive!"
"HA!" Cyan cried out. "Serves you right, punk!"
As the other wisps gave their own hoots and hollers of agreement, Whisper couldn't help but smirk.
"No, it's not a toy!" Mina giggled, her worry and fear melting into a warm smile. "Bowie's a Wisp. They're common outside the city. They helped out Sonic and his friends…"
The mongoose trailed off, her eyes turning dim as she talked about the hedgehog. She looked to the side, shame filling her face once again.
However, before any of the children could notice the woodchuck spoke up. "Are they safe for the children to play with?"
The wolf instantly nodded and whispered, "Play with them for a bit."
"Roger!"
Her team flew out of their hiding spots and joined Bowie in floating around the children, giggling and babbling in their alien language as the kids stared at them in awe.
However, it wasn't just the children looking at the wisps.
"Wait, aren't those the things from the reports we got of the outside?" A frog whispered to his companion, who nodded.
"Yeah, but I never thought I'd actually get to see one!"
"They look kinda cute…"
"Cute nothing! One of those things could slice your arm off! I wouldn't want my kid to play with one!"
Whisper frowned behind her mask and stepped back so that Silver was in front of her.
It was… uncomfortable, being the center of attention. And over the wisps… she had gotten so used to their presence. Their existence was just an everyday part of life on the Islands after the war. Some returned to Planet Wisp, sure, but a lot of them had chosen to stay. Either to continue the fight against Eggman or so just live and play with the inhabitants of their newly adopted home.
"These people, meanwhile, never had the chance to meet them. To them, these are just strange aliens…"
"Why don't we move someplace else?" Silver chuckled, seeming to sense her discomfort as he looked at the woodchuck. "If that's alright with you, Ms…"
"Rosie." The older woman smiled. "Rosie Woodchuck. It's a pleasure to meet you, young man." The woman glanced at Whisper, and understanding filled her eyes. "And you're right. It's far too crowded over here. How about we go somewhere more private?"
"O-Oh!" Mina got up and smiled. "Yeah, no problem, Rosie!"
"Come along, dears! Let's go visit Jeremiah over in his library."
"Yes, Rosie!"
With that, they began to walk down a pathway with the kids racing the wisps down the path. Silver and Whisper were walking behind Rosie and Mina, who were talking animatedly.
"Why are they here?" Mina asked, concern in her eyes as she motioned to the kids. "And why are you here, Rosie? Did something…"
The woodchuck nodded. "Unfortunately, yes." She frowned. "When that skunk riled up the folks in the city and crowned himself king, he began to tear down things that he didn't agree with." She closed her eyes. "That included poor Jeremiah's library. Charles… he begged me to help Jeremiah save our history and culture while he was off trying to find out what really happened to us. The children followed me even when I told them to stay behind. They wanted to help, and I couldn't just leave them."
"And the books…?"
"…We saved as much as we could. They burned the rest along with the library."
The mercenary's lips formed into a thin line. It made sense in a horrible way. What better way to squash dissent and rewrite history than to make sure there wasn't any records that could contradict the new ruler of the city? To burn any books that could possibly put the thought of rebellion being a good thing in future generations' heads?
"I've read about stuff like that happening on holo-records in a couple of futures." Silver muttered to her. "Can't believe it's happening here too."
"…Tends to happen in places where fear and hate take over." Whisper remarked. "They destroy what they don't want to understand anymore."
Rosie shook her head. "It broke that poor boy's heart. He had to leave behind some of his grandfather's work to the flames, like Wilton of the West and his biography."
Mina's head bowed. "…And… and my Mom? Ash? My band? Do you know what happened to…?"
"…I'm sorry, dear. But the sheriff and the king's men captured them. They… they are likely in the dungeons now."
A tear rolled down Mina's cheek and the woodchuck placed her hand on the girl's right shoulder as they continued to walk on.
Whisper frowned when she noticed that Silver was deliberately slowing down his pace. She matched him, and already knew what he was going to ask.
"I just wish I wasn't the one who had to tell him. Tangle… Sally… they could probably do it better than me."
"Why isn't Blaze here?" Silver asked, his eyes narrowing. "It shouldn't have taken her this long to come back. She should've been right behind us, right? Then why…?"
"…" Whisper took a deep breath before letting it out. "...She stayed behind to cover our escape. Wanted to face Naugus alone." The sniper shook her head. "She was likely captured. I'm sorry, Silver."
"…" The gray-furred hedgehog's hands clenched into fists. "Damn it…"
They began to glow in turquoise energy as his teeth began to grit.
The mercenary's own eyes widened. He wasn't going to start slinging around his power here of all places, was he?!
No time to risk it.
She put her hand on Silver's shoulder and shook it. "Not here!" She hissed. "You can hurt everyone!"
"I…!" Silver's face twisted in anguish before the energy began to leave his hands and his shoulders slumped. "Damn it, why?! Why did she…?!"
"It was the only way for us to escape." Whisper quickly explained to the telekinetic hedgehog. "You were unconscious and Naugus' men managed to disable Sally. Blaze was the only one of us powerful enough to stall them while the rest of us escaped."
"I can't believe this!" Silver grit his teeth. "I should have been paying attention! I got hit with a freakin' dart that I should've been able to stop mid air!"
"There was nothing you could do." She held up her left hand, pointing at him. "It was too small and too fast for you to…"
"I should've been able to see it!" He countered, his brows furrowing as if he were berating himself mentally. "If I did, I could've ended things in a couple of minutes! Then Blaze…!"
Whisper knew what it was like. To blame yourself for failing the ones you loved and trusted. She certainly did enough of that when the Diamond Cutters had been wiped out save for her and Mimic. Days full of black moods, even if she had both the war and the hunt for the octopus to distract herself. The self loathing… the nights crying… the voices…
She didn't want Silver to go through any of that.
"Blaze is alive. She's only captured, and the rest of us are here." Whisper said softly, causing the hedgehog to blink. "We can recover and plan so that we can get her out of there."
"But we can...!"
"If we go in now, what she has done would have been for nothing. They know about you and likely have ways incapacitate you if you just rush in." The wolf squeezed Silver's shoulder. "Please, Silver. Just wait. We will save her. Together."
Silver bowed his head and closed his eyes. He took in a deep, shaking breath before letting it out. Hesitatingly, the gray-furred hedgehog nodded.
"I just… I don't want to lose anyone else because of my mistakes." He muttered. "Especially her. Blaze is… she's special to…" The telekinetic stopped himself before he shook his head. "I just want it to happen soon."
"…Right."
A small flower of relief bloomed in Whisper's soul.
"Wish you could've seen that, Tangle."
"Mr. Jeremiah!" One of the children shouted, snapping Whisper and Silver out of their thoughts before they looked up and saw the children, wisps, Mina, and Rosie entering a room to the right. "We've come back! And we brought Mina and her friends!"
The mercenary walked forward with the hedgehog and at the room. It was like a maze of hardcover and softcover books, stacked one on top of the other and threatening to collapse with the smallest of bumps.
"Oh, hey kids! Rosie!" A Great Dane wearing a slightly dirty green polo and vest poked his head out from behind one pillar and smiled. "Glad to see you're back too, Ms. Mongoose!"
"Hi, Jeremiah." Mina waved at the man before motioning to Whisper and Silver. "These are my friends, Whisper and Silver. They fought with Sonic over here."
The dog's eyes widened before his smile grew as he approached them. "Wow, I can't believe I'm actually meeting two people born here! It's incredible!" He chuckled as he stretched out his hand. "It's like something out of grandfather's stories!"
"…"
Whisper didn't try and take the hand. Instead, Silver stepped in and shook it for her, grinning awkwardly. "N-Nice to meet you! Actually, I did… uh… exist on Mobius." He looked to the side and muttered, "It's complicated."
"I can imagine!" Jeremiah turned to Whisper. "Come here to learn about Mobius?"
"…" Truthfully she just followed Mina, but she didn't want to be rude. "…Sure."
"Perfect! Managed to save one of my grandfather's history books." Jeremiah reached up on top of one of the piles and picked up a book before handing it to Whisper. "He wrote and drew them, actually!"
Whisper stared at the title.
New Gods of Mobius by Kirby.
She opened the cover and on the first page was the picture of the author who she recognized from some of Tangle's comics.
"…"
She was pretty sure that, regardless of content, it was going to be an interesting read.
"Ah'm only gonna say this once." Bunnie said evenly as she glared at the two bear guards standing to the sides of the supply room's door. "Either help me find that cider or get outta mah way."
The two bears eyed one another with raised eyebrows. Both of them were dressed similar to the soldiers she had just fought, but instead of dressing in green they were dressed in black.
They still ticked her off with the way they carried themselves.
"Do you have permission to enter?" The one on the right asked with arms crossed. "If so, can you please state the name of the one who gave it?"
The rabbit rolled her eyes. "Ah don't know. Some skunk ah think."
The one on the left sighed. "Can you at least give us a description?"
"Why should ah? Ah just want a drink."
The left bear pinched the bridge of his snout. "Ma'am, I don't know if you haven't noticed but supplies need to be carefully managed. We can't just hand them out to everyone who wants something." He then took out a little notepad and tapped on it. "I can write down your request here and then run it by my superiors. Once I get the go-ahead we can…"
The Hooligan's eyes narrowed. She didn't have to deal with this crap. She had a long couple of days and just wanted some sort of relief from all the nonsense she had been saddled with thanks to all this 'reboot' nonsense.
Wait, that was right! She was liquid again! She didn't have to allocate a huge portion of her finances to that damn chinchilla!
"Look, if ah just give ya a couple of bucks can you just step aside? That way we don't have to deal with all this-?"
"Mrs. D'Coolette." The bear on the right growled out, and the rabbit's eyes narrowed at the name. "You cannot bribe us. I don't know what nonsense you grew up with out there but we are proud members of the Mes Braves Batallion, even if we have to get those traitors kicked out, and we will not..!"
Bunnie tears back her left fist and the bear on the right of the door's eyes widened in panic. She punched forward, but aimed her shot a bit farther to the right so when her fist extended, it missed his head and created a small crater just a few inches next to his left cheek.
"Don't…" She growled out in anger. "…you ever call me that."
"B-b…"
The Hooligan clicked her tongue and glared at the one bear that was already reaching for her gun. Slowly, she retracted her arm and walked away without another word.
Behind her she heard the sound of a hand slapping someone upside the head and hushed voices.
"Ow! What was that for?!"
"You idiot! Don't you remember the briefing?! She's not Mrs. D'Coolette anymore!"
"She might as well be! I don't care what the others say, I'll call her by her Source-damned name!"
"Damn it! They're just as bad as those people in that city!" Bunnie thought, her face twisting into a scowl. "Thinking they know me just because they knew the little miss perfect Bunnie from the Gaia-forsaken dump they came from!"
They weren't as bad as the citizens that greeted her in New Mobotropolis. None of them had even talked about 'fixing' her or anything like that.
But what was going on here was just as bad.
The uncomfortable looks, the hushed whispers asking if she was really 'Bunnie', the fact that people like that Rotor guy talked to her as if she were that Bunnie they knew…
It ticked her off.
It really did.
"At least that badnik got the message." She watched as a ferret and mouse quickly got out of the way when they spotted her, whispering to themselves as she passed them by. "And that lemur… she didn't sugar coat what she thought about me."
Honestly, the group that led her here were perhaps the only sane people around. At least they seemed to understand just how insane this entire city was!
"And now ah'm stuck here…" The Hooligan muttered bitterly. "Treated like some sorta freak ruinin' their good memories of some other Bunnie."
A Bunnie had a perfectly good arm and pair of legs and had them unwillingly transform into robotic replacements, rather than losing both and willingly having them replaced because it seemed like her only option.
A Bunnie who was just so gosh-darned lucky to become friends with Sonic and his lot right out of the gate, rather than have to do all kinds of things to earn money so she wouldn't die.
A Bunnie whose uncle thought she was the greatest, enough that the one standing in front of him was just a walking receptacle for the real thing.
A Bunnie that was actually married to a man she loved, who'd probably hate the current Bunnie the moment he laid eyes on her.
And knowing her luck, that other Bunnie's folks…
"Gaia… why didn't you just take her that day?"
The rabbit's hands clenched into fists before she shook her head. "Darn it…!"
No. Don't think about them now.
"They better hurry up with their plans." She muttered to herself. "As soon as ah get Fang, Bark, an' Bean we're blowing this looney bin."
Those three… they were her crew. The people she stuck with through thick and thin. They watched out for each other, helped each other out, and worked so that they could all make a buck in this world because it wasn't like Gaia was going to do anything for them.
And every time one of their number made a mistake, it was up to the others to slap them upside the head.
Just like she did to Fang after that job in the Northstar Islands went south and the jerboa let his temper get the better of him. It was his fault that Trip girl turned on them and Bunnie made darn sure the gunslinger knew it. Bark kept giving Fang the evil eye and Bean just upped his tendency to be a looney annoyance for a month before all was settled.
But they still stuck together. They were still the Hooligans.
And even if she was leaving… even if she was going to start her new life now that she was free of her collar and chain… there was no way she was going to let her crew rot like this.
"We'll rob that king blind on our way out too." Bunnie assured herself to lift her spirits. "And then we'll go to the fanciest restaurant around these parts and eat the finest meals. I'll make sure they serve carrot cake too, and get myself the biggest slice to chow down on while sipping on the finest root beer that fancy schmancy place can produce!"
It would be her big celebration for being freed. For breaking from the shackles of both Thunderbolt… and whatever the heck was going on in this Gaia-forsaken city.
"First things first… Ah'll need something to drink." The rabbit's eyes widened before a smirk formed on her face. "Heh. Maybe ah can convince that badnik to tell those bears to give me as much of the good stuff as ah can handle."
That badnik was supposed to be a princess or something, right? She could just wave her hand and stuff will be done for her.
"Time to see if that's true."
With a nod, Bunnie marched towards a lone fox that seemed scared just seeing her.
Time to find out where she could find the princess of this particular castle.
"I can't believe it…" Sally stared at the Power Ring with shock and awe. "You… you actually have a new one?!"
Nicole was equally amazed by the sight. It had been so long since she had seen a Power Ring that wasn't the one degrading within Sally. It was… oddly mesmerizing.
Was it because, in this world, she never expected to see one until far in the future? When the Restoration had tested her blueprints for a forge until they were satisfied?
"But… how?" The holo-lynx looked at Rotor, who was smiling wryly as he observed the princess' reaction. "You said that the Lake of Rings was being guarded by Naugus and…"
"Yeah, but I have this one for my projects." The walrus nodded, but a small frown grew on his face as he continued. "Hamlin wanted me to use it to build the New Mobotropolis Freedom Fighters a weapon that could potentially turn the tide."
Nicole stiffened at that. She knew how much Rotor despised building heavy weaponry nowadays, and yet the situation was so dire that Hamlin actually ordered him to build them anyways?
"He had gone through so much during Sonic's time in space… and he had only begun to temper his views on weaponry before the Super Genesis Wave hit." Nicole couldn't even imagine Rotor's own thoughts on the subject. "When he designed the Iron Rotor suit, he'd done it so that he could be active on the field again. The power of the suit was incredible, but nowhere near as devastating as the weaponry he used to design. It was… weak enough for him to be comfortable with using it."
"…Did you design them?" Sally asked quietly. "The weapons, I mean. Rotor, I know how you feel about them but if the situation has been that bad…"
Rotor's shoulders sagged slightly. "I was beginning to design them before we got the news you were coming." A bitter smile began to spread across his lips. "Heh. Fiona probably would be laughing her butt off at the irony."
A flash of distaste crossed Sally's face at the mention of the fox's name. "Nah. She'd be gloating. That was just her way." She shook her head. "But, Rotor, maybe it would be better if you still used this for the weapons. The Freedom Fighters will need…"
"No. Hamlin and Amadeus are the ones who think they need it." Rotor's eyes narrowed. "We did just fine fighting against Robotnik with even less that what we have. Plus…" He pointed at her. "…we now have you."
"…Rotor?"
"Think about it, Sally." The walrus was now beside Sally with his arm on her shoulder. "You're finally back. You can lead us to victory, just like you did before. Sonic may have been our trump card, but it was you who helped to point him in the right direction. It was you who knew how we could aid him in the fight against Robotnik without getting in his way. You could handle not just his, but the intense personalities of everyone else and lead them. Plus…" He pointed at her body. "I took a peak at what you could do with that body. You can do so much with it until I'm able to find a way to bring you back."
A small smile formed on Nicole's face as she looked towards Sally, who was staring at him in shock. "It wasn't just me who always had faith in you, Sally." Everyone in the Freedom Fighters did. All of them loved and believed in her, even when Sally didn't believe in herself. "And Rotor is right. If she were to command again and use her Robian weaponry in the fight with a brand new Power Ring fueling her, it could turn the tide…"
The princess blinked away her surprise before she looked down. "…Do you really mean it, Rotor? Y-You'll find a way to make me…?"
"I'll do everything in my power to try and find a way, Sally." Rotor vowed, his hand clenching into a fist. "Tails was already working on a method before…" He grimaced before continuing. "…If he thought it was possible, then it is. And I'll find it."
"…Thank you." Black tears formed at the corners of her eyes, and in an instant Nicole was by her side with her left hand covering her right. "Thank you so much, Rotor."
"Not a problem." The Walrus rubbed his eyes before he said, "Now, let's work on getting that Power Ring installed."
Nicole's eyes widened as she looked at the walrus. "Now? Rotor, it is approaching nighttime. Surely it would be better…"
"No." The mechanic said firmly with narrowed eyes. "If we wait, Hamlin will likely suspect what I'm about to do and try to stop it under the pretense of wasting resources. It has to be now or never."
Sally let out a slow, ultimately useless breath before she nodded and looked Rotor in the eyes. "Alright. Understood. Do what you can, Rotor."
She moved her legs onto the table and laid down on it, staring up at the ceiling.
"I'll see you in a bit, Rotor. Nicole?"
"Right." Nicole waved her hand towards Sally. Within seconds, the necessary commands were transferred onto the onboard system for the CMOS battery to continue powering the small virtual reality within the robotic body. She would have to tell Rotor to replace it once he was done with replacing the Power Ring, but it was necessary to make things easier on her friend. Once she was done, the artificial intelligence closed her eyes and turned into a stream of data that flowed into the still robotic body.
When she opened them, she was once again inside the replica of the old Freedom Fighter base. Sally was leaning against the wall, once more in her avatar that replicated her organic self, with a pensive look on her face.
"Sally?"
The chipmunk turned her head and gave her a crooked smile. "So… I guess now we don't have to worry too much about power, huh?"
The holo-lynx shook her head. "No, I believe it will still be a concern but for now at least you won't lose it as much…" She paused and winced. No, she shouldn't go on about that. Something was clearly wrong with her friend! "…That isn't what's bothering you, is it?"
"You got me, Nicole." Sally looked up in thought. "I'm just… worried. Everything's moving so fast. Rotor, Antoine, everything that's happening in this city…" She looked down and her shoulders sagged. "When this all started, we were just looking for answers, y'know? And hopefully looking for our friends and I'm happy we found them but now we're working to liberate New Mobotropolis again and all the people here are…"
Nicole caught onto what Sally was getting at. "It's bringing back bad memories?"
She wouldn't blame Sally for thinking that. Before she was roboticized, the citizens of New Mobotropolis had turned on Nicole and were ready to elect Naugus as their king. She had been so angry at Mina because it brought back those memories.
Sally was only brought back from the brink because of the possibility Nicole raised of finding their friends and loved ones again.
She didn't rise up from the pits of despair over the possibility of dealing with all this once more.
"Yeah." The chipmunk admitted, closing her eyes. "And it's even worse. But Rotor still has faith in me. Crazy, right? I made so many mistakes but he and Antoine still… They think I can turn the tide. But we barely made it out of that throneroom alive!" Her hands clenched into fists. "What if… what if I just fail again? What if I help to mess everything up again, only this time Sonic isn't around to pick up the slack? What if…?"
The words were out of Nicole's mouth before she could stop them. "Sally, stop talking like that!"
The princess looked at her, her eyes widening in shock as the holo-lynx stepped forward.
It was time to settle this.
"Who was it that led the Freedom Fighters against Robotnik for years?" Nicole asked, her voice firm as she continued. "Who was it that helped to plan the counterattacks against the madman who had taken everything from her people, with minimal resources or experience?"
"Nicole, wha-?"
"Who was it that helped to save Knothole when Sonic was roboticized to do Robotnik's bidding?"
Sally winced. "I was, but…!"
"It was you who was the one that established the alliance with Station Square and the human population, wasn't it?"
"My father…"
Nicole shook her head. "He would never have done that, and we both know it." She lifted her right hand and began lifting her fingers one by one. "You were the one who rally the citizens against a literal god, you led the attack against the Eggdome, you helped to organize the plan to dismantle the Iron Dominion, you brokered peace between the Wolf Pack Nation and the Felidae, and when it was needed…" Tears began to form in the holo-lynx's eyes as she finished. "…y-you sacrificed yourself to save all of Mobius from robotization."
It still hurt to think about. To see with every second that Sally was inside this body.
Even if Sally insisted that Nicole was not to blame, a part of her still felt the guilt gnawing at her from the inside.
She wiped the tears away and said with conviction, "You made mistakes, but so has everyone else. All those accomplishments I listed? They are why Rotor believes in you. They are why every one of your friends believes in you." She took Sally's hand. "They are why I believe in you, Sally. So please… believe in yourself."
Sally was silent for a few seconds.
Then, a small chuckle escaped her lips.
"You know… you and Khan would have gotten along fine." Sally's eyes grew wistful as she gripped Nicole's hand. "Both of you know what needs to be said to get through my thick head."
The artificial intelligence giggled. "It's not that difficult. Your head isn't as thick as Sonic's or Knuckles'."
"Nicole!"
"Please don't tell them I said that."
Sally smirked. "No promises." She sighed. "Nicole… thank you."
Nicole smiled and was about to thank her back…
…When her vision began to distort, and a new image was in Sally's place.
The entity labeled 'Supreme Goddess' traced her digits across the screen, her yellow eyes upturned in what the artificial intelligence's files described as an indicator of sadness. Behind her, two members of her species were arguing and pointing at a lifeform labeled as an echidna floating in a tube, the words 'PROJECT ENERJAK' written across the glass.
"My friend… I wish it did not have to be like this. I… I wish we had uncovered his monstrous experiments earlier…" The Supreme Goddess paused. "But… what's done is done. Words cannot begin to describe my sorrow and my desire to atone for what has been done. But… we must do what needs to be done so that something good may be born from this horror. And even if you cannot comprehend the meaning behind my words anymore…"
She leaned forward and her head pressed against the screen.
"Ni-Col… thank you."
"Gah!" Nicole took a step back, her hands reaching for her head as the static continued to fill her vision and her ears.
"Nicole?!" Sally was by her side in an instant, hugging her and slowly bringing them both down to sit. "What's wrong?
"I… It's coming again…!" Nicole shut her eyes, gritting her teeth as she said, "M-Memory has been recovering since… Since Naugus…!"
And then, she was somewhere else.
"It's coming." Nicole was standing… she was floating in front of a red female echidna who was wearing white robes with gold and silver trimmings. Her golden headpiece, so similar but different to the Enerjak in her memory files, shined in this golden void they were in. The pink hair that stuck out of the headpiece fluttered in the wind. As she looked up, the artificial intelligence could truly see the demi-god's parentage. "I can feel it breaching through the Chaos Force."
"We need to stop it here." Nicole, this Nicole, said. "I am still calibrating Cyber Space so that it may contain it once again without negatively affecting the echidnas still trapped in there, but if it makes it through…"
The echidna closed her eyes, her right hand reaching up to grip the center of her chest while her left hand held the sword even tighter.
"I lost Mom twice now." The Chaos demi-god muttered. "I cannot, will not, let it happen again!"
"And we're not going to let it!" The past body turned to look at Sonic, still in that strange form he was in. But that look of uncertainty was now gone. No, in its place was a smirk… and a fierce determination in his eyes. "Merlin, Athair, and Aurora need some extra time to make sure everything is saved, right? Well, we're going to give them all the time they need!"
Sonic pointed upwards, and the past Nicole turned up her head to see… it.
The purple color that was tearing through the walls of reality with armored tentacles that oozed and popped.
The color given shape, one that looked vaguely like Robo-Robotnik for one second before shifting into the form of the Iron Queen, grinning as its twelve metallic wings fluttered in nonexistent wind.
But it had no true form.
What she sees is a mask.
"I've faced gods before, and all this thing has going for it is that it's uglier… and it's attitude really ticks me off." Sonic clenched his hand into a fist. "No one else is dying! We're going to teach this thing a lesson and save everyone! Let's go, Nicole! Jani-Jak!"
"It's Jani-Ca!" The echidna shouted, annoyance written across her face as Sonic flew off with Jani-Ca flying just behind her. "Get it right, kid!"
The past Nicole looked down at her hands, and they were no longer gloveless. Nor were they normal white gloves. Her form had undergone a change. Black pixels mixed with purple and white ones all across her body, an indicator of her new state of being as a… a…
… a god.
Then, reality snapped back into focus for Nicole. She turned her head to look upon the worried face of Sally…
…and grabbed onto her, sobbing onto her shoulder.
Nicole didn't know why.
"And that's everything." Dr. Quack muttered as he thrust a pill bottle into Antoine's hands. "Take these three times a day with some food to ease the pain. And I would recommend you just lay down and recover for the rest of the year…" A grim look appeared on the doctor's face. "But I doubt you'll listen."
"Thank you, Dr. Quack." The coyote thanked the doctor, nodding as he reached up to take the pills. "I will make sure to keep your advice under ze advisement."
The duck grunted before turning around and storming out of the medical room, muttering about stubborn coyotes with a death wish.
"Then again, it would look as much to anyone who didn't understand…" The Freedom Fighter sighed as he looked at the pill bottle. "Any sane man would take his advice. To recover from their injuries and be thankful they managed to survive."
But he was a Freedom Fighter and a D'Coolette.
'Sane' was not really a word to describe either.
He turned his head to the only other occupant of the room, Tangle the Lemur. The native of the new world was turned over on a small medical bed that was inside the room, a slightly ratty blanket draped over her.
"Are you sure you would not like a better room, Tangle?" He asked her politely. "I do not think zat bed would be very comfortable."
Not that most of the other beds were any better, but he certainly would not want to stay in a medical room.
Too many bad memories.
"I'm fine." The lemur muttered. "Just tired. Been kind of a long day, y'know?"
Antoine frowned and said, "Yes, but… Tangle, do you wish to…"
"No. Just tired. Don't want to talk. G'night."
The coyote's brows furrowed. The lemur had been acting… odd… ever since her discussion with Dr. Quack. She had become less talkative than usual. Cracking less jokes and mostly keeping to herself while the doctor focused on him.
"I hope she did not take any of his observations personally…" His ears drooped. "Then again, after all she heard on the surface…"
Antoine didn't know anything he could possibly say to make her feel better. He barely knew her. He didn't have a connection to the lemur like he did with his friends.
His words would be meaningless.
"…Very well." Antoine pushed his wheelchair out of the room. "I shall inform ze princess and ze others about where you are. Zat way, if you need anything…"
Tangle's tail reached up and the tip made shooing motions with its end. Getting the message, the coyote left the room…
…only to feel something knock into him.
"Oh mah stars, sorry!"
Antoine froze.
"That voice…"
Slowly, he turned to his right and saw the frowning worried form of his wife…
"No. Not my wife. She's not…"
His love… no… Bunnie Rabbot, leaned down and gave his wheelchair a look over. "Ah wasn't lookin' where ah was goin'. Sorry." She tilted her head as she looked him up and down. "What happened to you?"
"I…" Antoine bit his lip. His eyes stung as he looked upon the rabbit's inquisitive face and saw no recollection in her eyes. No joy or relief either. From her perspective, she was looking at a stranger. She wasn't looking at her husband. "…I got ze face full of a bomb. Metal Sonic."
The rabbit's eyes widened in shock. "Metal Sonic threw a bomb at you?"
What? "Non. Metal Sonic was ze bomb."
Bunnie raised an eyebrow at that before shaking her head. "Must be that old world hogwash stuff. The doc I knew wouldn't blow up Metal for anything. That thing is his pride an' joy."
Antoine didn't know how to feel about that.
About how this Bunnie knew Eggman… and how Eggman could actually care about anything other than himself.
"Well, glad to know yer alright." The rabbit leaned back before walking off. "See ya."
A part of him wanted her to leave. To not be here, in front of him, where he could see the living reflection of his wife. Where he could almost touch her, where he can almost feel her warmth only to know it isn't his Bunnie.
Instead…
"Wait!"
Bunnie paused before looking back at him. "What's up?"
"Where are you going?" Antoine asked, pushing himself so that he can be closer to her. "It is late, you know? Most of our forces shall be resting or preparing for tomorrow."
"Ah'm gonna see that badnik… that princess of yours." The new version of his love inclined her head further down the hallway. And for a brief second Antoine felt a flash of anger and sorrow at the rabbit referring to his princess as a simple badnik. But that faded. After all, she couldn't understand. "The idiots they got posted by the supplies won't give me any cider, so ah gotta go to the top to make sure ah can get a decent drink around here."
"Bunnie wouldn't drink." A voice whispered in the back of the coyote's mind. "This isn't her. Leave her to her own devices. It's better this way."
A part of him wanted to listen.
To run away from the reality in front of him.
But…
…No, he couldn't do that.
He was tired of running away.
"If you can bring me to zem, I can give you ze proper authorization."
Bunnie blinked in surprise and a grin formed on her face. "Really? Aw, you're sweet!" Then, the grin was gone and she was glaring at him. "What's the catch?"
"See?" The inner voice chuckled. "Such a cynical woman could never be her!"
So what?
It just meant he had to be honest.
"I… wish to have ze drink with you." Antoine answered honestly. "And I wish to know more about you."
"…Huh." Bunnie crossed her arms, her mechanical left index finger tapping on her flesh and blood right arm. "That's it?"
"Do I need more of a reason?"
The rabbit was silent for a second before sighing. "Whatever. Ah guess it gets me mah drink faster." She narrowed her eyes. "But if ah find out there's any funny business…"
"Non. My business is not humorous." The coyote said with a grin. "Besides, I'd imagine a strong woman like you would be more zan capable of knocking ze lights out of me if I tried."
A small blush formed on Bunnie's cheeks before she moved around him and gripped the handles of his wheelchair. "Let me push ya, then. Ah remember what it was like bein' in a wheelchair. It wasn't fun."
"Zank you very much."
"Ah guess you already know who ah am." The rabbit said casually as she pushed him down the hallway. "Through the old Bunnie ah mean, though ah ain't her. What do ah call you?"
"…You can call me Twan."
He could already see the small grin forming on the reflection of his wife's face.
"Ah like the sound of that, Sugah-Twan!"
And Antoine found out that indeed, a heart could break at the same time it swelled.
The Multiverse was a lot stranger than the stories Knuckles had shared with her and what she gleaned from Sonic's boasting whenever she was around.
Sure, Julie-Su knew the basics. The Multiverse was composed of countless worlds, each of them a variation of their own, Mobius Prime. Moebius was the one that she unfortunately knew well, a world where everyone and everything she knew to be good was now evil while all that was evil was now good. It was once the home to Scourge the Hedgehog, simply known derisively as 'Evil Sonic' by everyone until he chose a new name, and the Suppression Squad.
However, there were other universes that were completely different. Like that one world home to superpowered humans that were wearing frankly ridiculous or 'edgy' costumes as Knuckles put it.
One of them apparently was just a green-skinned human wearing a policeman's uniform with a fin on his head.
"Come to think of it, didn't Knuckles mention something about some human going on about how they would meet the future? Whatever happened to…?"
"An opening!"
Julie-Su hissed as she leapt back, narrowly avoiding a new scar on her face. However, she could see sparks fly as the tip of the sword scratched the surface of her cybernetic dreadlock. Lifting her left arm, she fired twice at her attacker.
But he was too fast.
Of course he was. He was, after all, a Sonic.
He ran to the right, avoiding the shots and standing in place with the long thin sword gripped in his right hand. She knew it wasn't her Sonic from his looks alone. Sonic wouldn't be caught dead wearing a short-sleeve jacket that looked like it came straight from the Dragon Kingdoms. Also, he was not wearing sneakers. Instead he wore a strange pair of sandals with socks that had two wooden blocks underneath, giving him an extra inch or two of height. Then there were the strange pair of ring tattoos he had around his wrists, which matched the ring tattoo he had above his ankles.
Oh, and another clue she was in a completely different Zone was the fact that everything was in black and white.
There was no color in this Zone. Just shades of black and white with some grey. Everything from the Sonic she faced to the Dragon Kingdom-like surroundings seemed like they were ripped from some sort of old comic that couldn't spring the cash for a colorist. Even the flames of the city being raided by the other Dark Legion forces were in black and white.
It actually made her one organic eye hurt.
"Have to say, you foreigners sure know how to party!" The Sonic in front of her grinned before pointing at her with his sword. "Though that isn't any rifle I recognize. You don't even need to stop to reload it with gunpowder! What gives?"
The pink echidna scowled. Stupid. She was so stupid! Why wasn't she focusing?!
"Because I'm fighting another Sonic."
No, she needed to stop thinking like that. Thinking like that will get her killed, and leave Saffron and the others to Lien-Da's mercy! She needed to focus!
This wasn't Sonic. It was an enemy combatant. Not even an echidna at that.
She needed to stop seeing him as a friend.
"That's for me to know." Julie-Su took aim with her blaster and her artificial eye began to calculate the possible routes the hedgehog would take. "And you to find…
"JULIE! I couldn't stop her! You need to retreat! You need to…!"
The quills on the back of Julie-Su's neck stood up even before she heard the battle cry. She didn't bother to turn. She dove to the left just before the ground behind her burst in an explosion of dirt and grass.
She scrambled to her feet and turned to see an Amy Rose wearing ancient Dragon Kingdom armor sling her war hammer over her shoulder and glare at her.
"Yo! Vassal-chan!" The Sonic saluted with a grin. "Here to help out lil ol' me? What happened? Your muscles get tired from swingin' that big ol' hammer around bashing foreigners?"
"Now's not the time, vagabond." The Amy growled. "The young lord of the Kitsune Clan is now safe. I am only here because he insisted on me retrieving you."
"Heh. Good to know Miles-kun still has my back."
"Don't speak of the Young Lord with such familiarity!"
Damn it, things weren't looking good. Fighting a Sonic was hard enough. But fighting one backed up by an Amy? That was near impossible…!
"Legionnaire Julie-Su!"
She glanced to the right and saw a contingent of Dark Legion descending down the cliff, Saffron at the head. All of them were training their guns at the Sonic and Amy, whose eyes widened at their appearance.
No time to waste.
"Don't think of them as Sonic and Amy. It helped the last couple of times. They're just faceless combatants. Forget their faces…"
"FIRE!" She shouted, raising her left arm and taking aim at the Enemy's head…
"FOREIGN DEVILS!" She heard a grown man's voice shout from behind her. "Have you no honor?!"
Pain erupted from Julie-Su's left arm. She screamed as it felt like it had been engulfed in fire. Her vision in her right eye was going red while her left eye was feeding her a simple message.
WARNING!
WARNING!
DARK LEGIONNAIRE JULIE-SU'S LEFT ARM NO LONGER AVAILABLE.
"Old Man!/Usagi-san!" The Sonic and Amy cried out in relief as a figure passed Julie-Su without a care. A rabbit, maybe? It was a blur as it ran at the contingent of Dark Legionnaires with its sword drawn, the Dark Legion members screaming in fear.
Black spots appeared in her vision as the punk echidna fell to her knees. She saw Saffron flying towards her, screaming something as everything went dark…
"NO!"
Julie-Su's upper body shot up, her hands gripping onto the sheets of the bed as she breathed rapidly. Her organic eye felt like it was going to bulge out of its socket as her prosthetic one scanned the room.
For a second, she was confused. It wasn't Cyber Space. She should have woken up in Cyber Space, probably surrounded by her sister's men as they operated on her to 'gift' her a new arm.
"No, no that's not right. That happened but…"
Right. That was right. That all happened in the past. That was just a nightmare.
A nightmare… and a memory…
Her body was hot, sweat matting her fur and staining her black top. Cautiously, The ex-Dark Legionnaire lifted her right arm and slowly reached up to grip her left shoulder. Her thumb slowly traced where her fur and flesh ended and her new limb began, its metal cool to the touch.
"It used to be a sleeve… a fashion statement…"
Honestly, it was kind of funny in a screwed up way.
"I really am nuts."
"Julie?"
The echidna turned her head to the right to see Saffron dressed in her green nightgown with yellow flowers on it flying next to her bed, a worried look on her face.
"Man…" Julie-Su groaned while putting her hand on her forehead. "Sorry, Saffron. Did I wake you up?"
"You sure did!" Sticks' head popped up from the edge of the bed, bags under her eyes as she said, "Kept moanin' an' stuff in your sleep. Was thinking that da froglodytes were gettin' ya."
The echidna stopped herself from asking what froglodytes were for the sake of her own sanity.
The bee sighed and glanced down at the badger. "Sticks, that's not important right now."
"It is for me!" The crazy badger declared. "It's why I sleep on da floor! Lets me feel da vibrations of their little feet an' gives me da advantage!"
Saffron shook her head as she lowered herself onto the bed and sat on her knees next to Julie-Su. "Julie, did you have another nightmare?"
The pink echidna's first instinct was to deny it, just like the other times when her friend asked about her dreams. After all, it wasn't her problem. Julie-Su could handle her messed up mind on her own.
"But look how that turned out."
Grimacing, Julie-Su nodded and put her hands on her lap.
Was she really going to do this?
"Treat it like ripping off a band aid. You promised Saffron… you promised her before we left…"
"Yeah. It was… y'know… in that Zone where I lost…" She couldn't bring herself to say it. Instead, she used her right index finger to tap onto her mechanical hand.
Saffron's eyes softened, and even the haze of crazy in Sticks' own eyes lifted somewhat as she looked down.
Hesitantly, the ex-Dark Legionnaire continued. "It was kind of a shock, y'know? The eye was bad, but… not too bad, y'know?" She lifted her left hand and stared at its mechanical fingers. "At least everything else about my body was the same. I already had cybernetics drilled into my skull thanks to my dreadlocks. So the eye was just another piece of my head that got screwed up thanks to the Dark Legion. But this? This was something else."
Julie-Su clenched her left hand into a fist.
"It was a sign, y'know? That I really was becoming something else. Something that I… I thought I didn't have to be anymore. That I never wanted to be after falling in love with Knuckles and being a part of the Chaotix." She let out a sigh. "A Dark Legionnaire."
A life where she fought and bled for the sake of her people, who believed in the technology their ancestors created and the advancement of the echidna race above all others.
An army that had her view all those who did not aid them were tools at best or enemies.
A path that she only followed because she was raised in it… and because of the machinations of her half-siblings.
One that she had thought she had escaped from, only to be forced back onto it thanks to Thrash and his hatred.
"I… I cried, y'know? After the operation." Julie-Su lowered her head and closed her right eye. "Because it just really hammered in how screwed up everything was. And… and the things I was doing…."
"It doesn't matter."
Julie-Su's eye snapped open and she looked at Sticks who was now standing with her hands on her hips.
"So what if ya did some bad stuff? It wasn't like you had any choice in da matter." The wild girl pointed at the ex-Dark Legionnaire. "Would you have been a part of all that if ya had a choice?"
The echidna blinked. "No, but…"
"Would ya have polluted your body with any more filthy technology if it weren't for all those fights you had?"
"Of course not!"
"Would you have hurt anyone if there wasn't guns pointed to da heads of your friends and people?"
Julie-Su's hands clenched into fists.
All those Zones… there was chaos in some, of course. Worlds that suffered from the failure of its denizens and the victory of evil. But there were others that were… peaceful. Beautiful. One where life just went on, and the denizens were happy save for occasional strife.
Ones that reached out to them with hands open imploringly, trying to understand their plights.
Hands that Lien-Da slapped away because of her pride and need of control.
Hands that went up to defend themselves when Lien-Da made Julie-Su act as her attack dog.
Hands that the pink echidna still wished she had taken into her own… so that she and her people could be saved through the very ideals Sonic and Knuckles represented.
Julie-Su's gaze hardened as she said the truth.
"Never.'
Sticks nodded. "Well then, it means it wasn't your fault!"
A part of the ex-Dark Legionnaire couldn't help but feel shocked at the declaration. Just like that? The badger was just willing to accept her and all that she had done?
She had dreamed of something similar happening with Knuckles. With Sonic and the others, even if part of her knew that the way they looked at her would change after hearing of how she handled Lien-Da.
But this badger… this random half-mad stranger who just tagged along? One who she didn't even know back on Mobius?
"It's kind of nice."
The badger then sneered. "If anything, it was da bosses of that crazy government cult you were a part of!"
The echidna's gaze flattened. "…And just like that she's back to crazy speak."
Saffron sighed and pinched the bridge of her nose. "Sticks, the Dark Legion isn't part of the government."
"All cults are part of da government! They create all these whacko groups to distract da people from da real truth! " Sticks then yawned. "I could go more in depth to…"
"No! No, that's fine." Julie-Su had enough conspiracy theories to last her a lifetime. "Just go back to sleep."
The badger grinned. "Alright! Nighty-night!" Without even crawling down, Sticks just closed her eyes and began to snore before falling to the right with her body still ramrod straight.
"Ohmygosh!" Saffron flew over and peered down before sighing in relief. "Oh good, she landed on the pillows…"
"Not like a bump to the noggin will screw up her brain anymore than it already is." The echidna muttered with a roll of her eye. "Just let her sleep."
"…"
Saffron was silent for a second before she turned her head towards the ex-Dark Legionnaire. Her eyes shone in the small beams of moonlight that shone through the window of their hotel room.
They were filled with such understanding…
…and regret.
"You weren't the only one who was afraid, Julie." The bee whispered softly. "Of becoming something you never wanted to be."
Julie-Su stared at her friend, for a second wondering what on Mobius she could mean before it hit her.
Right.
She may have been the one to do most of the actual fighting, but Saffron helped in her own way. Mostly because Lien-Da forced her to. As a reminder to the pink echidna of what was at stake.
"And maybe because she liked the idea of forcing Saffron to help on those missions… to help end all the other versions of our friends."
She wouldn't put it past her half-sister.
Has Saffron been afraid of returning to Mobius and being rejected after she confessed about everything she helped to do?
It was ridiculous, because obviously Sonic and the others never would do something like that.
But the thought was still there.
And unlike Julie-Su, the bee wasn't deluding herself about how that meeting might go.
"…I know, Saffron." She nodded before lowering herself on her bed and resting her head on the pillow. "Try to get some sleep, okay?"
"…Okay."
The pink echidna stared at the ceiling while she listened to her friend fly towards her own bed.
They were close to the Mirage Desert Zone, the place Sally Acorn would be.
Honestly, they probably could have made it by the crack of dawn if they had just kept going but Charmy had begun to fall asleep and Vector decided it was best for them to rest up.
She wanted to keep going but everyone, including Saffron, preferred to just rest for the night at the cheapest hotel they could find nearby.
"Those cellphone things are kind of amazing." The ex-Dark Legionnaire admitted to herself. "Took only a few seconds for Espio to find this place."
She wished they could've kept going.
They would have gotten to the desert faster and been able to find Sally.
"Sally… I can't believe she actually remembers."
Did the chipmunk go through the same thing she did?
Did she try to deny reality in front of her too?
How much did she actually remember?
"…Guess I'll find out tomorrow."
Julie-Su closed her eye…
…and returned to a time when she held the hand of the person she loved, their legs kicking as they sat on the edge of a dock with the moonlight shining down on them.
"Meg, get Martha and as many villagers as you can to the shelter. I'll… I'll be back as soon as I can."
"I… yes. We'll get them to safety."
"It'll be all right, dear. I have plenty of experience looking after young Acorns."
"I love you, Meg. All of this madness will be worth it. I promise."
"Just come back to me, Eli."
"Elias?"
The former king blinked as his mind returned from the hazy mists of the past, from the last time he held his wife and felt her warmth. It took him a second to register where he was and what he was doing.
In Elias' right hand, held between his thumb and index finger, was the photo of him with his family.
Megan looked so beautiful in it, wearing a deep purple dress and gold crown around her head. He remembered her fussing over it, nervous about looking suitably royal for the photo. He had laughed and said that she was worrying over nothing. He had fallen in love with her and had been willing to live a humble life with her, away from the trapping of royalty before he had been forced to take the crown once more. And no matter how she looked, Megan was the most beautiful thing in the world to him.
His wife merely blushed and stammered out how he had become such a smooth talker ever since he had become king. It was cute and was just like Meg. Talk all romantic to her and she'll turn into a quivering mess.
Alexis had been more than a little fussy during the photo. She kept squirming in her mother's arms, crying, and even making a bit of a mess in protest to the outfit they had to get her to wear. It took over an hour and thirteen takes before his stepdaughter finally calmed down and actually smiled at the camera.
It was the only picture he had of them together.
Before…
"Elias, my boy. Are you…"
"I'm fine, Harvey." Elias tucked the photo back into his pants pocket and turned to the owl, who was frowning at him. "I just… needed a second after..."
"Ah." The owl nodded his head. "Yes, I can imagine. It certainly went about as well as we could expect."
The squirrel grimaced and looked down at the table, remembering the meeting they had only a few hours ago.
The meeting… it had been a complete disaster.
So much yelling. So much denial, tears, and pleas for an alternative solution. The look of shock in Larry's eyes when Harvey and Sir Charles outline everything about Brave New World, Lyco and Leeta just staring at him with tears forming in their eyes as the full scope of everything began to dawn on them, and Hershey…
"I thought Hershey would have understood." The former king muttered. "She… she already did a lot for the kingdom, right? At least, that's what you told me when I finally…" He winced. "…snapped out of it."
When he finally came back from the brink of madness, apparently repeating the same phrase over and over after coming from Cyber Space. After being brought into that strange hidden world thanks to the artifacts that Harvey put in his and the twins' uniforms just in case. After seeing…
"No." A tiny, frightened part of his brain whispered. "Don't think about it. Don't go there. Nothing happened. NOTHING. HAPPENED."
Harvey shook his head before walking to the computer monitor and began to type something. "Hershey performed… necessary actions in the name of the kingdom. She eliminated factors that would have posed a threat to Sonic and the others if they were allowed to continue operating as usual. But Brave New World goes beyond the scope of those missions." His shoulders sagged slightly. "And you have to understand, my liege. She spent more time than any of us with the Genesis Births. She had to for the sake of infiltrating the Restoration."
His hands tightened into fists at that.
"She should have remembered. They aren't like us. They just popped into existence because of him. They only exist because of Eggman! If it weren't for him, they wouldn't exist! If it weren't for him, Megan and Alexis would…!"
"But… I expect she will come to understand." The owl spoke up as he continued to type on his keyboard. "She doesn't always like what needs to be done, but she knows she has to do it." Then, almost as a whisper, he added, "We've both given up too much to stop now."
Elias closed his eyes and mentally berated himself. It wasn't Hershey's fault for actually feeling sympathy and a connection to the Genesis Births. She had to see them as actual people for the sake of her mission. She wasn't heartless, no matter what Lyco and Leeta may have thought about the cat.
It was only natural.
"I'm going to go check on them." The squirrel spoke before he got up from his chair and began walking to the door. "I need to tell them about… about my sister."
"Ah. Right." Harvey nodded without looking up. "I'd imagine they would want to see her again."
Elias paused at the door, his hand gripping the frame tightly for a second, before it relaxed. "Yes. But… I never imagined it would be like this."
Without another word, he left the meeting room behind and walked down the halls of the Secret Freedom Fighters' base. His footfalls echoing down the empty hallways while everyone else was finding their own ways to come to grips with their new mission.
Larry, Lyco, and Leeta's reactions had hurt him the most. On some level, the former king felt like he had betrayed their trust. After all, wasn't he supposed to be the good king? The one who was willing to fight for the kingdom despite never wanting the crown in the first place? The Acorn who was willing to sacrifice his simple life for the sake of his sister?
"But they will understand. They have to."
Larry… he would need some more time. Mostly because he never had any real family to lose and most of his friends were still in New Mobotropolis, even if one of them was Hamlin.
But Lyco and Leeta… they would come around. They wouldn't like it, but Brave New World was the only way they could save their world. To be heroes that they promised Lupe Wolf they would be.
"They just need to understand that we're not hurting anyone with this."
Elias turned towards the door to his right and opened it, revealing a small study full of hardcover books that Harvey had collected from this new world. To study it, apparently, through its culture and history.
He hated this place.
It was just another reminder of everything they had lost.
Of everything that had been replaced by a warped copy.
The squirrel's eyes narrowed, but he shut them and shook his head. "Now's not the time to be thinking that, Elias. You need to be here and now."
He entered the study before walking over to the bookshelf furthest from the door. Scanning the tomes, he spotted one hardcover novel labeled We which he grabbed by the spine and pulled towards himself. Something clicked behind the bookshelf before it slid towards him and then opened down the middle as if it were a pair of doors.
Which they were.
The doors opened inwards, revealing a small room with beige walls and a dark brown tiled floor. In the center of the room was a large bed made of a rich oak that had the headboard against the far wall. To its right was an IV stand, which held a bag whose contents dripped down through a tube to the arm of the single occupant of the bed. An elderly brown squirrel laid underneath the blankets, his head propped up by white pillows. His gray hair and mustache were neatly combed, and his gray eyebrows twitched from whatever dream his frail mind was having.
There laid the former king of the Kingdom of Acorn. The man who ended the Great War through his defeat of the Overlander leader, Charlemagne. Appointer of Warlord Kodos Lion, Royal Wizard Ixis Naugus, and Warlord Julian Kintobor. Husband of Alicia Acorn and father of both Elias himself and Sally.
A hero of the Kingdom of Acorn… and the man who arguably led to its decline.
"And now… he's not even that."
"Elias?"
The former king looked to the left of the bed to see the female brown-furred chipmunk sitting in an oak chair with red cushions. Her red hair was tied in a ponytail, slightly frazzled with the likely culprit of it and the bags underneath her blue eyes being the stress of the situation. She wore a simple orange dress, with the only thing indicating her royalty being the gold necklace with the blue gemstone in the center around her neck.
"Hello, Mother." He gave his mother and former Queen of the Kingdom of Acorn, Alicia Acorn, a small smile. "Sorry I haven't…"
"Don't apologize!" Alicia was instantly out of her chair, setting aside the book she was reading and rushing towards him. She embraced him in a tight hug and said, "Oh, Elias… it's so good to see you again."
"Y-Yeah…" He hesitated for a second before hugging the woman back. He closed his eyes as the guilt crashed down on him again. He had been so busy with the return of his sister and her arrival that he hadn't visited his mother in days. And it wasn't like they were far apart! He could literally walk to this place anytime to visit them! "It's good to see you too."
Hesitantly, Alicia released him and looked at him with sad eyes. "Oh Elias… look at you." She reached up to his hair. "You haven't been taking care of yourse-."
The squirrel shook his head and disengaged from the hug. "I've been busy, Mother. There just isn't enough time to do that kind of stuff. You don't have to worry about me."
She frowned at him and said, "I can't help but worry. You are my son, and after everything that has happened with the kingdom and…"
His mother didn't finish her sentence. Instead she looked down and tears began to form in her eyes.
She didn't need to say their names. He already knew who she was referring to.
They may never have been close, but his mother knew how much Megan meant to him and she loved Alexis, even if the baby wasn't his own. He remembered his mother's look of pure love when Meg handed Alexis to her, back when they first met. The nervousness of Meg's body that disappeared when Alicia said that Elias had gotten himself a beautiful family…
His own eyes were beginning to sting.
"No, don't think about them. You can't break down here."
Elias had to turn head and bite his lip to stop himself from doing just that.
"I… I'm handling it the best I can, Mother." Slowly, Elias let out a breath before looking back at her. He tried to smile, but from the worried look in her eyes it wasn't working. "How was Father, today? Did he wake up?"
Alicia flinched slightly before looking at his father, her fingers intertwining and rubbing against one another nervously. "…Yes, but he's… it wasn't one of his better days."
The former king's shoulders sagged as he walked over to Max and reached out, putting his hand on top of the man's left. A deep pit of remorse and unease formed in his heart as he looked upon his father's sleeping face.
"So much has happened to you. The Zone of Silence… Naugus' possession of you… the poison from Antoine's alternate self… and the Chaos Emerald…"
It had been shocking, seeing how Max's mind seemed to slip further and further away ever since he had been brought out of the coma caused by the poison. His body's frailty was another cause of concern. Had it been caused by the poison? Or was it from the Chaos Emerald they used?
Could they have caused his father's decline in their desperate attempt to heal him?
"I've been giving him the medicine Horatio prescribed, but… I don't think it's working." His mother muttered, and he could tell she was choking back tears. "I-I don't think he'll be lucid at all at this rate."
Yes.
That was part of the reason why his mother and father were here instead of with the rest of the Freedom Fighters in their base or out in the open inside their base.
Ever since that day, his father had gotten worse and worse. His half mad ramblings became even more frequent and worrying. Sometimes he barely recognized Elias or Alicia, and Harvey said it would be best if the former king was somewhere that was more 'out of the way'.
So he wouldn't be a distraction.
So he wouldn't bring down morale.
"Maybe Harvey had a point."
Just looking at his father's sleeping form just made him feel worse.
Only Elias, Harvey, and Dr. Quack visited them, and his location was on a strictly need-to-know basis. His mother refused to be separated from his father, so she remained here to help take care of him.
"If only Sally was here…" Alicia sniffled. "She could be here with Max before he…"
Now was as good of a time as any to reveal it.
"Sally… she is here." Elias got up and turned to his mother, the first genuine smile in what felt like ages growing on his face. "She's here, Mother. And she remembers."
His mother just stared at him with wide eyes for a second before her eyes began to swim with tears.
"S-She is…?" The tears flowed down Alicia's cheeks before she hugged him. "Oh, Elias! That's wonderful news! I-I can't believe it! I thought she was…!"
"So did I…" He hesitated for a second before he added, "But… she… she's still a Robian." He bowed his head. "I'm sorry."
"That doesn't matter!" The former queen looked up to him and he was almost shocked by the determination in her eyes. "What matters is that she's alive and she's here! My baby…" She buried her head in his chest. "My baby's still alive…"
"Yes…" Elias patted his mother on her back "And I'll bring her here, Mother. To see you and Father."
As the former king continued to pat his mother's back as she sobbed tears of joy onto his chest, he turned to look at his sleeping father.
"Soon." Elias Acorn promised himself. "Soon, we'll be together again."
His hand snaked down to his pocket and touched the corner of the photo.
"All of us will be together again."
To Be Continued
Notes: Well, this took longer than I anticipated to come out.
Sorry for the delay in the chapter. A lot of stuff has been happening in my personal life and my original plans for the chapter either did not fit or would just make this thing too long. Still, I hope you all like what I have here. And I hope you like some of the meetings and mysteries I'm setting up!
Updates may be coming in less frequently due to some more personal stuff that I need to focus on. But I am glad I was able to at least finish this before the end of the week.
Be sure to leave a review and add to the TV Tropes Page!
Until next time…