-Chapter 245-

Trigger Warning

CONTENT WARNING: Some graphic violence near the end of the chapter. Viewer discretion is advised.

Tranquil Gulch

Sonic stared intently at a lone figure in cowboy attire.

"I've had enough of yer dastardly deeds, Dirty Dan!" he declared in a Southern accent. "I'm gonna git you and yer partner, Pinhead Larry or my name ain't Sheriff Sonic!" He drew a pistol at that, "Whaddya hafta say 'bout that?"

Dirty Dan remained still and silent. Sonic narrowed his eyes.

"Not talkin', eh? Alright then…" he drew a pistol. "Eat lead!"

He opened fire, emptying the gun before holding it up, blowing on the barrel. "Heh! Looks like Dirty Dan's all cleaned up."

"Impressive," Willie noted.

"Yeah, mighty fine speech there, son." Dennis added.

"Indeed, badass," Lily remarked. "But it woulda been more badass... if you'd actually managed ta hit the guy! "

Sonic turned at that. As it turned out, "Dirty Dan" was a simple training dummy, and despite being at fairly close range, he had missed every shot.

"No wonder you don't use guns," Lily remarked. "Ya can't hit the broad side of a barn!"

"Oh no?"

Sonic walked up to a literal barn nearby before opening fire, kicking up a cloud of smoke. When it cleared, everyone saw that he had somehow missed the barn wall despite standing less than five feet away from it.

"How?" Sonic demanded incredulously.

"Yeah…" Lily began, "Good thing you're not a hunter, Sonic. The only thing safe in the woods would be the critters."

"Well, sooooor-ry!"

"What in Sam Hill is goin' on?"

Sonic and Lily turned to see Bunnie and Antoine walking over.

"Hey Ant!" Sonic greeted. "Hey Bunnie!"

"Ummm…is there any particular reason there are store mannequins in the middle of town?" Antoine asked.

"Lily's tryin' ta teach Sonic how to shoot," Rally said. "But, well…"

"His aim is about as good as the startroopers in a Galaxy Wars (1) movie." Lily said bluntly.

"Hey!" Sonic objected.

"More like the cross-eyed ones from Astro Nutz (2)." Bunnie remarked.

"Hey!"

Bunnie shrugged. "Sorry, sugah-hog. I calls them as I sees 'em."

"It's not like I'm trying to miss! Besides, why do I even need a gun anyway!? I'm literally faster than a speeding bullet!"

"Easy, Optiman (3)…" Lily explained, "The Dust Riders are all great shots with fancy, high-tech super-guns. Even their grunts are deadeyes." She held up her hand, miming holding a gun, "Second you're in their sights, BANG!" she 'fired' the gun for emphasis, "You're gonna be the world's bluest Smiss cheese wheel."

"If they can get a beat on me. Did you not see me take down Pete earlier?" Sonic boasted, "Also, did I really need to say those hokey cowboy lines? Seriously, they sound like a cartoon my cousin made." At Lily's dirty look, he winced. "Sorry."

"The point is, you ain't gonna be able ta just waltz over and kick'em in the head like last time. Ya need ta shoot them 'fore they shoot you. Soon as you can shoot in the first place," She took the gun and loaded some more bullets in it. "Here, like this."

Lily walked several feet away from Dirty Dan, much further than Sonic was, then turned toward him. "First, ya need ta find a comfy position and lean a bit forward so ya don't get knocked back by the recoil." She assumed the stance. "Next, grab the gun with both hands and hold it out so yer arms are like one o' them long, thin triangles." She did just that. "Make sure your grip is tight, but not too much ta give ya tremors. Also, you want the web 'tween yer trigger finger and thumb to rest as high as possible on the grip. This helps keep down recoil from the slide moving back and forth. Then, keep your arm straight, your feet firm, pull the trigger, and…"

She pulled the trigger, shooting Dirty Dan in the dead center of the forehead. Sonic whistled in awe.

"Where'd you learn to shoot like that?" Bunnie questioned.

"Years of practice," Lily replied. "There ain't a gun on Mobius I can't handle."

"It's true!" Rally chimed in. "Pistols, handguns, rifles, shotguns, grenade launchers, if it's got a trigger, Lily can shoot it."

Antone blinked uneasily. "Grenade… launchers?"

"They were on sale."

"A sale. On grenade launchers ?"

"This here's the Baronies, son," Dennis chimed in. "Only gun control here's yer hand."

"I see…" Antoine laughed nervously before leaning over to Bunnie, whispering in her ear. " Cher , how did your uncle survive this madhouse?!"

"But my personal favorite is this beaut here, Ichiro." Lily held up the revolver.

Sonic blinked. "You named your gun?"

"Yep. After my daddy. The classic, ol' reliable Waco Wilder."

"Wait, that old fossil?!" That got Sonic bopped on the head with Bunnie's extendo arm. "Ouch!"

"This 'old fossil' happens to be the signature gun of my childhood icon, Blue," Lily informed him. "One Buckshot Bunny."

"Seriously Sonic, show some respect!" Bunnie snapped. "If Uncle Beau were here, he'd shoot yer outline into the wall."

Lily perked. "Whoa, whoa, back up, Bunnie. Did you say what I think you just said?"

"How do you not...?" Rally stopped, facepalming. "Oh right, you weren't there. Miss Bunnie here is Beauregard's Rabbot's niece."

"What!?" Lily dashed over, grabbing Bunnie's shoulders, getting a good look at her. "By Aurora... you're Buckshot's kin?!"

"Yep! Bunnie Rabbot, Freedom Fighter and niece to the one and only Beauregard 'Buckshot Bunny' Rabbot."

Lily practically screamed. Everyone covered their ears, wincing.

" Mes oreilles… (4)" Antoine let out.

Sonic rubbed a pinkie in his own ear. "Sheesh, you could shatter glass with that shriek.

"Oh my gosh! I can't believe I'm actually talkin' to Buckshot Bunny's niece!" Lily took a deep breath. "I gotta be dreamin'! Rally! Am I dreamin'!?"

"Mmmm… Nope," Rally replied.

Lily let out another squee, causing Antoine to fall over. "Oh ma dame , make it stop!"

"What's going on?!" Everyone turned to see Shard running in. "Is everyone okay?! I heard screaming!"

He saw Antoine on the ground rubbing his head. "You alright, Antoine?"

" Oui, just...lamenting my sensitive coyote hearing..."

With that, Shard snapped to attention. "What was all the screaming? Are Thunderbolt's goons already here?"

"Nah," Sonic chimed in. "It turns out Lily's a fan of Bunnie's uncle, and just found out they're related."

"I worship Beauregard Rabbot!" Lily exclaimed. "He's the fastest gun in Wyldwest, if not all of Mobius! I mean, I'm good, but he's better. They say he once shot the whiskers off a Mobini ant at fifty paces, without laser sight or any of those newfangled targeting systems!"

"Ants have whiskers?" Sonic asked.

"I can't believe yer his niece!" Lily darted over to Bunnie. "What's he like!? Tell me everythin'! I must know! "

Bunnie just looked at Lily awkwardly, unsure of what to make of all this. Thankfully, Lily quickly caught on to the cyber-rabbit's discomfort.

"I'm going overboard, aren't I?" she asked.

"Just a little bit," Bunnie replied.

"You know, I'm a pretty good shot myself." Shard boasted.

Lily scoffed. "No you ain't, Robo-Hog! Yer a machine!"

Antoine got up, giving her a look. "There's no need to be rude. He's just trying to strike up a conversation."

"Well, I ain't crazy like Flint Westwood, so I ain't talkin' to no inanimate object. Now, if you'll 'scuse me…"

Lily walked off at that. Shard sighed, rubbing the area between his optics. "It's my first meeting with Kat all over again…"

"I'm sorry, Shard," Rally told him.

Shard held up his hand. "Don't be. It's not your fault. And again, I'm used to it. Comes with the territory of looking like one of Eggman's bots. I'll just... give her space for now."

He prepared to leave before seeing something on the ground. Curiosity piqued, he picked it up, finding a little golden locket. "Did Lily drop this?"

He opened up the locket as Sonic and the others gathered around. The locket contained a photo of Lily, Rally, and a boy with slightly tanned skin, short, black hair, and blue eyes. He was wearing a white, long-sleeved button shirt, a black ribbon tie, a green vest, and black slacks.

"That boy…" Bunnie realized. "He must be Jesse."

"Yep, that's him," Rally confirmed.

"I think I remember him," Antoine said. "Eggman was using him as a worker-bot at one of his steel mills."

"That's right!" Sonic perked. "He was one of the first human Robians I'd ever seen."

"Yeah, random thought, but is it right to call a Roboticized human a Robian?" Willie pondered. "Shouldn't it be 'Robuman' or somethin'?"

"Does it matter?" Bunnie asked.

Willie sighed. "Guess not."

"I'd better go return this to her." And with that, Shard flew off.

"Whoa!" Dennis yelled. "Hold on there, son!" But it was too late. Shard was already off. Dennis sighed. "That boy is a glutton fer punishment."

"I'd better go too," Rally said, going after them.

-X-

Shard caught up to Lily in record time, finding her at the shooting range. Aside from the two of them, the place was completely empty.

"Hey, Lily?"

"What do you want?" Lily snapped, turning to him.

"You dropped this back there." Shard held out the locket. Lily's eyes widened.

"My locket!" She suddenly snatched it from Shard. "Gimme that!"

"Hey!"

Clutching the locker to her chest, Lily gave Shard a mean look. "First ya wreck my home, now yer takin' my stuff? Yer lucky I don't smash yer fancy eye-cameras!"

Shard gaped before scowling, offended that she would accuse him of such a thing "Hey, I found it on the ground! You dropped it and I was giving it back to be nice! This is the part where you thank me for finding and retrieving it!"

Lily just ignored Shard, slipping the locket back around her neck and turning back to the targets. Shard clenched his free hand, infuriated and hurt.

"You know what? Fine. At least Sonic and the others actually see I'm more than just a Metal Sonic knockoff. Think what you want about me, Lily. I don't care anymore."

He stormed off. As soon as he was gone, Lily picked up her gun, aiming at the targets. She focused on a cardboard figure before her. She squinted at it, visualizing the image of Dr. Robotnik standing in front of it, the doctor's wide grin and glasses practically gleaming as he held a finger over a red button.

"Eggman..."

Beside him stood Jesse, trapped in a cylindrical container, desperately pounding on the glass and screaming.

"Help!"

"Jesse?" Lily froze.

"Get me out of here! Somebody! Anybody! Do something!"

"Jesse, hold on! I'm coming! I-!"

At that instant, Jesse screamed in agony as the container sparked and glowed with electricity. The electricity enveloped Jesse's body, warping and distorting his skin and clothing into polished steel. His elbows and shoulders became ball-jointed. His lucky, green vest became an armored chestplate. Then, the lightning reached his head. Jesse's screaming became muffled as skin closed over his mouth, before becoming electronically warped and garbled as a rectangular hole opened in its place, the distinct black of a loudspeaker visible through it. His blue eyes jolted open, then turned completely white and glassy, then darkened into dull, black screens. Jesse's slightly scruffy, short hair began to straighten until it turned into a completely solid, black plating, his ears rounding out into a pair of knob-like receivers. At that moment, Jesse MacNeil was gone. In his place, was a robot that only vaguely resembled him. The machine died down, as did his screaming; the robot slumping over lifelessly. Lily could only stare ahead in terror. "Jesse...?" Lily managed.

The robot stood there silently for a few seconds, then suddenly raised its head, its eyes flashing to life like a TV turning on, revealing a pair of soulless, blue lights.

"All hail Dr. Robotnik." it intoned in a machine monotone.

"Jesse..."

At that, the image of Eggman placed himself in front of the Jesse-Bot, his wicked grin growing even more wicked.

"Eggman!" Lily held up her pistol and pulled the trigger, shooting Eggman right between his eyes. "Eggman! Eggman! EGGMAAAAAAAAAAN!"

Lily unloaded her pistol at Eggman, who flinched and screamed in agony as the bullets tore into his flesh, but despite the pain, he never made a sound. The only sound there was were the gunshots and Lily screaming.

"Give him back! Give Jesse back, you monster!"

As her screams petered out, a hand came to rest on her shoulder.

"Lily…"

Lily suddenly turned around and aimed her gun at whoever snuck up behind her, only to see a panicked Rally raising his hands defensively.

"Whoa, whoa! Don't shoot!" Thankfully, she'd already emptied the pistol, meaning all that happened was a click. Rally loudly sighed in relief. "Yeah...that was my fault."

"Rally…?" Lily looked around, blinking as if uncertain where she was or what she was doing.

"Yeah, it's me." Rally gently removed the gun from her hand. "You okay?"

"...No. No, I'm not."

Lily broke down and buried her face in the stallion's chest. Rally pulled her close, running a hand through her hair.

"I miss him too, Lily." He shed a few tears himself, the two standing there and mourning the loss of their friend.

-X-

Meanwhile, at Willie's saloon, Sally was inputting information into Nicole. "Nicole, bring up the Robian Database files, please."

"Right away, Sally. Accessing..."

As Nicole searched through her files, Shard entered the saloon, a sad, bitter look on his face.

"Hold that thought," Sally headed over to Shard. "Hey, what happened?"

"Lily happened," Shard explained, sitting down at the bar, "I gave her back her locket after she dropped it. But is she grateful? Does she appreciate it? No. She accuses me of stealing it and threatens to break my optics." He sighed. "Don't know why I even bothered."

"Sorry, Shard," Sally said sympathetically. "You didn't deserve that."

Shard scoffed. "Don't be. If Lily's gonna hate me and treat me like a Badnik no matter what, I'm done caring. At least I have friends who see me for who I am."

"Shard..." Nicole materialized from her terminal.

"I'm fine, Nicole. Just angry. The sooner we can find a permanent sheriff and get out of this place, the better."

Nicole rested a hand on his arm. "I'm sure she'll come around. Kat did. Remember?"

"Yeah, well I'm not holding my breath, so to speak," Shard said bitterly. "If Lily comes around, fine. If not, oh well. She wants to let herself be consumed by robot hate, let her."

Nicole winced.

"Well, I can't force you to like her, but..." she thought for a moment. "Shard, you've occasionally...researched different things that organic humans and Mobians do, right?"

"Occasionally."

"Have you ever read the Auroran Bible?"

"I did skim a copy of it once, when I was curious about the possibility of possessing a soul."

"Well, there's a particular story there that may be relevant to your situation with Lily." Nicole manifested a holo-screen. "Let's see...Book of Edmund, Chapter 7, Verse... Ahh! Here it is!

'Let not the fires of hate burn in your heart. For though it gives you strength and vigor, it burns away the body, clouds the eyes, and poisons the soul.' The chapter then goes on to tell the story of the Echidna, Edmund, and his brother, Dimitri."

Shard perked. "Hold on, Enerjak?"

Nicole nodded. "The very same. The entire reason Dimitri became Enerjak in the first place was because he was consumed by hatred. When he presented his plan to use the Chaos Syphon to return Angel Island to the surface, the governing Council of his time refused the plan and declared it 'heresy', all because it threatened their power. He tried to rally the people in an attempt to overturn the Council's decision, but they were either loyal to or feared the Council, so they dismissed him as mad. Even his brother, Edmund, refused to stand up for the plan, because he didn't want to risk making the situation worse. After that, Dimtri became bitter toward his people, and over time, that bitterness festered, becoming hate. And it was that hatred that ultimately turned him into Enerjak. After that…well, we've been discovering the consequences ever since we met Knuckles and the other Echidnas."

"Whoa…"

"Even after his 'death', his hate had a lasting impact on those he knew, especially his family." She looked into the Needlemouse's eyes. "Do you understand the moral of the story?"

"I… think so," Shard said, "But still, all that could've been avoided if they'd just listened to him in the first place."

"Maybe," Nicole concurred, "But not everybody is willing or able to listen. Sometimes, they're just too scared or angry or caught up in their own problems and desires." the holo-lynx shook her head, "Even Dimitri himself was like that. He may have had good intentions and his anger may have been justified, but he refused to stand down, compromise, or move on when things got tough. He just gave into his anger and hate…"

"And it destroyed everything he cared about," Shard finished.

"Yeah, take it from someone who's been fighting his literal dark side for two years," Sonic chimed in, the others entering.

"Sonic…" Shard managed.

"Yeah, Lily has a chip on her shoulder," Sonic went on. "But she lost her best friend to Eggman. She's hurting. Instead of getting pissy, just give her time and, more importantly, keep trying to get through to her. She'll come around sooner or later."

"If you say so…" Shard muttered.

"Listen, at the very least, keep trying for her sake," Nicole urged. "You saw how Kat was when she was still...struggling. If someone wasn't there for her..."

"Yeah…" Shard nodded. "You're right."

Suddenly, Nicole perked as a ping sounded from her terminal. "Ah! I just got a text from Hope and Rotor. They've almost finished examining Pete's body."

"Excellent," Sally said, "Come on, let's see what they've uncovered."

With that, the Freedom Fighters left the saloon, leaving Willie and Dennis alone.

"Them kids are stronger than they look," Willie said as she watched them leave.

"Yeah…" Dennis said with a sigh, "They're gonna need that strength soon."

-X-

Great Desert

Meanwhile, back in the Great Desert, Cream and Cheese continued following Kid through a sandstorm.

"The wind's so strong!" Cream let out, gasping as Cheese was blown away. "CHEESE!"

Suddenly, Kid drew a whip and lashed it out, grabbing Cheese and pulling him back.

"Gotcha!" he declared, handing the Chao to Cream. "Keep a tight grip on him. Next time, I may not be quick enough."

Cream nodded. "Thank you."

Kid winced, grunting in pain and clutching his left eye.

"Mr. Kid!" Cream managed. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah...I'm fine. Some sand got in my eye, that's all." He adjusted his hat. "We need to find shelter, and fast."

At that, Kid perked, "Aha! We made it!"

"Hm?" Cream looked up. "Made it to where?"

"The place where I'm meeting my friends," Kid pointed ahead to a roadside cantina just a short walk ahead.

"In there? But Mr. Kid, I don't think Cheese and I are allowed to go in there."

"Hey, I won't tell if you won't," Kid pulled out another green apple lollipop. "Course, we could always stay out here and eat dust all day." He stuck it in his mouth, promptly spitting it out. "Yuck! Sand pop!"

"Cantina it is," Cream decided. "Lead the way."

Inside the cantina, countless patrons and barflies, men and Mobian alike, gather around, indulging in all the usual barroom pastimes, including eating, drinking, shooting pool, throwing darts, and getting into fights. In the corner, a trio of Mobians in ponchos, bandanas, and other western attire sat in a booth, splitting a plate of nachos. One of them, a Mobian crow tapped his foot impatiently, twitching anxiously.

"Where the hell is he?" he muttered in a thick, Spanish accent.

A small, Mobian armadillo girl with a green shell calmly took a drink of soda pop.

"José, would you calm down? You're making the seat jiggle," she asked in a bored, deadpan tone, "Seriously, it's bad enough they're playing that Galaxy Wars crap again."

"I can't help it!" José shouted, " Jefe was supposed to meet us here over an hour ago! He's never this late!"

"Maybe he stopped by the Aurorium on the way?" A large bison asked, gingerly taking a single, cheese-covered chip.

"Ugh, he'd better not have," the armadillo remarked. "Last time he did, he was there for four hours ."

"You think we should head on to town without him?" Jose asked.

"No, he'll show up," the bison insisted. "He always does."

"Hey!" The trio looked up to see a group of rough looking patrons walk up to them, none of them very friendly. Jose gulped.

"Hola, señor." he greeted with a nervous smile and more than a few drops of sweat trickling down his face.

"There a problem, gentlemen?" the bison asked calmly.

"Yer damn right there is!" one of them snapped.

"If you're looking to hit us up for drink money, we're broke up," the armadillo retorted as she took another drink, "And if you wanna take our drinks, they're soda pop, and we're not sharing."

"It's about you!" the thug shouted, slamming his hand onto the table, startling the trio, "Your kind ain't welcome here, freaks ."

"I-It's not that w-w-we want to be here!" Jose stammered. "You see, w-we're supposed to meet a friend of ours here, but he appears to be taking his sweet ti…!"

The thug grabbed Jose by his poncho and pulls him up so they're at eye level. The crow quivered in fear as the thug narrowed his eyes at him.

"Tequila?" Jose asked, conjuring a glass seemingly from nowhere. The thug snatched the drink and downed it in one gulp, before spinning around and throwing the hapless avian away.

"Ay papi!"

José slammed beak-first into the wall, which cracked from the impact. He whimpered miserably as he slowly peeled off, landing flat on his back.

"Thanks fer the drink, birdbrain," the thug spat. The armadillo and bison glared at the man in subdued fury, the former gripping her glass so hard, it started to crack. The two made to get up, only for the goons to draw their guns and aim right at them.

"Sit down, freaks!" he barked.

"I thought you wanted us to leave?" the bison asked.

"We want you out ," the thug explained, giving him a nasty grin, "Preferably in a big, wooden box."

"You really think those peashooters are gonna hurt us?" the armadillo snarked venomously.

"At this range, I reckon so." the thug said.

The armadillo narrowed her eyes and clenched her fists, a soft whirring sound coming from her arms.

"Stand down, Matilda."

The armadillo perked as she relaxed her arms and looked toward the entrance, everyone else quickly joining her. Standing in the doorway were a trio of figures: a tall human and a small Mobian rabbit with a Chao.

"Kid…" she said.

"Kid…" the thug growled, glowering at the newcomer. Kid returned his glower, but was pulled out of it by a groan of pain. He looked to the side and saw José's battered body a foot away from him.

"José." Kid said, a hint of shock and concern in his voice.

"Oh my goodness!" the rabbit shouted in horror as she gently nudged the crow, "Are you alright, Mister!?"

José slowly raised his head, " Mami, no quiero ir a la escuela hooooooy… (5)" he said, then passed out. Kid narrowed his eyes at the crow, then turned to Matilda and the bison.

"Bill," he ordered, causing the bison to snap to attention, "Take Matti, José, and my new friends here back to the cruiser." He pointed to Cream and Cheese for clarification, "I need to have a word with these gentlemen."

Bill nodded. "Yessir." He proceeded to flip the table over, knocking the thugs down. "Come along, Matilda." he said sweetly.

Matilda sighed. "Okay." As Bill and Matilda walked off, the armadillo casually stepped on the face of the thug who threatened her, eliciting a cry of pain.

As the pair passed through, the patrons in their way cleared a path, many of them looking on fearfully.

"What took you so long?" Matilda asked as they approached the doors.

"I'll tell you later," Kid said, "Just get to the cruiser."

Matilda nodded and headed, Bill joining her as he picked up José.

"Mr. Kid?" Cream asked worriedly.

"Go with the others, Cream." Kid pulled out another green apple Chewy-Pop and stuck it in his mouth, "This won't be but a minute."

Cream stared at her companion nervously, wondering what was going to happen, only for Cheese to nudge her, urging her to leave. "Be careful." she said, and left.

Kid walked down through the bar toward where Matilda and the others were sitting, his gait slow and menacing. As he did, the patrons stopped and stared, some in awe, a few in scorn, but most of them in terror.

"It's him!" one whispered, "It's the Kid!"

"The Kid!?" whispered another.

"No way…"

"What the hell's that loony doin' here?"

"Ain't it obvious? He's here to take our souls!"

"Shhh! Quiet, ya idjit!"

Eventually, Kid reached the table, where the thugs had just managed to get out from under the table and get their wits about them. Their leader looked up at the new arrival that had everyone quaking in their boots and grinned.

"So…" the thug drawled out, "Yer the one everybody's talkin' 'bout." He got up, allowing him to stand at his full height. The man was much bigger than Kid, being a full one and half heads taller than him. "Gotta say, I 'spected you ta be bigger."

Kid just looked at the man, not making a sound.

"Whatsa matter, boy? Can't ya talk?" He leaned right in Kid's face, giving him a mocking grin, "Are you a babyyyyyyyy?"

"You hurt José," Kid finally said,his eyes narrowing behind his sunglasses, "And you threatened Bill and Matti."

The thug paused, but he quickly got over it and redoubled his grin, "Yeah, so what if I did?" he grabbed the Chewy-Pop out of Kid's mouth before sticking it in his own, "What're ya gonna do 'bout it, ya dust huffin' freak?" The thug crunched down on the pop, before spitting out the stick at Kid. The stick bounced off him and fell to the floor. Kid picked it up and stared at it for a few seconds before looking up at the thug, who was laughing at him.

"Y'know, I don't get what's got e'ryone so scared," he chortled, "There's no way a scrawny, lil' turd like you could–!"

Suddenly, Kid flicked the lollipop stick at the thug, which got lodged right in his eye.

"Ahhhhhhh! My eye! My eye!" he screamed as he stumbled about, clutching his face as blood trickled between his fingers. At that, Kid drew his whip and swung it, wrapping around the guy's neck. With a mighty tug, he dragged him down and kneed him in the face…right in his injured eye. The entire bar gaped in horror as the man fell down, dead.

"That was my last green apple," Kid spat as he wrapped up his whip and put it away. The thug's surviving goons looked on in horror.

"Boss!" one shouted as the other one drew his gun.

"You're gonna pay for that, you–!" Before he could try anything, Kid drew a large handgun and blasted the pistol right out of his hand…along with a few fingers.

"Brother!" The last, unscathed thug cried out as he went to help him, only for Kid to aim a second handgun at him.

"Take one more step and the next one goes in your neck." he warned coldly. The thug stared back at the gunman that just killed and maimed his colleagues, and the huge handguns he was holding. A soft, trickling sound caught his ears, and he looked down to find a growing wet spot on his groin and liquid trickling down his leg. At that, the thug ran to the bathroom and slammed the door shut. Satisfied, Kid put his guns back in their holsters.

"Bartender!" he called out, "Hey! Bartender!"

The bartender, who had ducked beneath his bar shortly after Kid arrived, slowly peaked out from his hiding place.

"Y-Yes, sir?" he asked fearfully as Kid approached the bar.

"Get me two chimichanga specials. Eight crispy tacos - four with sour cream. A steak-chicken fajita platter with flour tortillas. A bag of chips and some cups of salsa. A damn quesadilla, chicken, with melted cheese on top. And five, large Chao colas." he thought for a minute. "Make that four Chao Colas and a Pepsi."

To Kid's surprise, the bartender produced several plastic bags filled with styrofoam to-go boxes and cups. "H-Here you are sir, your compatriots ordered the food in advance. A-All on the house, of course!"

"Ah, how generous of you," Kid said as he gathered his order.

The bartender watched as Kid made his way to the door. As he left, he pulled out an Auroran cross pendant he'd been wearing and began to pray.

"Our Lady In Heaven, please deliver us from this–" Suddenly, a bullet pierced through the pendant, shattering it to pieces. Though unharmed, the bartender could only tremble in fear at how close to death he had come.

"Let me give you some advice, bartender." The bartender turned to see Kid aiming a smoking gun at him. "You wanna have a long, relatively happy life?" He spun the gun a few times before slipping it back in its holster, "Keep that Bible shit outta my sight."

With that, Kid left the bar for real, leaving the bartender to pass out from fright.

Author's Note:

(1): Mobian Star Wars.

(2): Mobian Spaceballs.

(3): Mobian Superman.

(4): French for "my ears."

(5): Spanish for "Mommy, I don't wanna go to school today."

Well... it seems Cream's new friend has a bit of a dark side.

Next chapter, Sonic and co. prep for Thunderbolt's arrival, and face off against her despicable desperadoes.

Voice cast for this chapter:

* Jose: Michael Peña (Luis from Ant-Man)

* Matilda: Lara Jill Miller (Kari Kamiya from Digimon Adventure and Digimon Adventure 02, Lambie from Doc McStuffins, Misao Kusakabe from Lucky Star, Lulu from Blood+, Koko from Zatch Bell!, Chirithy from Kingdom Hearts)

* Bill: Reagan Murdock (Sundown from Live A Live, Zunesha from One Piece, Tsukuyomi-no-Mikoto from Tsukimichi: Moonlit Fantasy)

Please R&R. Until next time!