.

Chapter XI
It's Not What It Looks Like

"It's okay. Love changes everything.
It feels like every little moment in your life is huge! Doesn't it?
So, what does this guy look like? Have you already been on a date with him?"
"Well, no... I really haven't..."
"A one-way love? That's so cute. Come on, there's no need to be shy.
Look, you're a princess, and you're super cute. That guy's the lucky one!"

.

"Miss Elise..."

Someone was calling her name. Repeatedly. Insistently. But the voice was low and muffled, as if it came from far away. A faint, distorted echo from another dimension, trying to fight its way into the real world without much success. It was not strong enough to convince her consciousness to take control again and drag her out of that wonderful dream which had turned her sleep into a marvelous journey.

She was dreaming of Sonic, as she had so often since she had been seven years old, since the time their worlds had become connected, and these dreams had always been the most exciting ones to her. And the dream that was captivating her today was a very special one, even more beautiful than most others she had ever had before.

In this dream, the Mobian hero had fallen in love with her. He had come to her, visited her, and even spent the night with her, here in her bed, snuggled up all close to her. So close, in fact, that she could feel the softness and warmth of his cobalt-furred body on her skin and his breath brushing over her neck. A foolish, almost childish fantasy, one that really only the weirdest dreams could produce. And yet the imagination was so enchanting, and this particular dream so vivid, that it nearly felt real. She didn't want it to be over already. A blissful smile played about her lips, and she sighed softly in her sleep. No, she didn't want to wake up yet. Absolutely not.

"Miss Elise...!"

But there was that annoying voice again, even louder now, and this time followed by a vigorous knock. Wait a minute... a knock?!

"Miss Elise! Are you up already?"

Startled, the princess snapped her eyes open, wide awake in a single second. It wasn't a dream at all! Sonic was really with her, lying right beside her, and now someone was knocking on her door! She glanced at her more or less involuntary sleepover guest, but the Hedgehog was still fast asleep, eyes firmly shut.

Again it knocked on her door. "It's time to get up, Miss Elise! Ready or not, I'm coming in now!" The irritated undertone that had crept into the voice left no doubt that what had been announced would be put into action at any moment.

Holy Solaris, Elise thought in horror. If that's Susanna...! A rush of adrenaline turned the blood in her veins into ice and caused her heart to skip several beats. If that tattletale of a maid caught her in bed with the Mobian, even the eternal flames of the sun god himself would be nothing but a puny spark compared to the hellfire that her father would unleash upon her.

Yes, she had resolved to deal with him. Yes, she was going tell him that she and Sonic had fallen in love with each other and had decided to enter into a relationship. But she had to reveal it to him personally at all costs, and at the right moment. When they had a quiet minute to themselves. If Hector found out from Susanna, if the news did the rounds behind her back, she'd be done for. And so would any chance of breaking it to him gently. Sonic had to leave immediately, or at least quickly hide somewhere!

She put a hand on his chest and tried to shake him awake. "Sonic," she whispered, close to panicking, but he did not respond. "Sonic, wake up!" she tried a little louder, right by his ear, and shook him again. But all she got in return was a low, rather displeased groan. Her heart contracted into a cold lump. Heaven help!

"What is going on in there?!" the person on the other side of the door asked, now audibly impatient. The question was almost instantly followed by the sound of the door handle being pushed down.

In desperation, Elise could think of nothing better than to grab her blanket and throw it over her secret guest to hide him underneath. His large head and big feet created some pretty suspicious bumps under the covers, and her only hope was that it wouldn't be too noticeable on an already rather messy morning bed. She jumped to her feet and turned to the door, just one moment before it was pushed open.

With her nerves on the edge, she clasped her hands behind her back, held her breath, and tried to put on her best innocent expression. But when she saw who came in, she almost fell to her knees in relief. "Annie!"

"Good morning, Miss Elise," the kitchen maid replied, closing the door behind her.

"Thank Solaris, it's you," the noblewoman rejoiced. She hurried to her friend and wrapped her arms around the older, slightly chubby woman. "I'm so glad to see you!"

A bit surprised by the unexpected effusive greeting, Annmarie returned the hug, careful not to squeeze the princess too much out of consideration for her bandaged rib cage. "I was able to switch my shift with Susanna for the day. Fortunately, the chamberlain still owed me a favor."

The two friends looked at each other for a second and then they both started to giggle. The thought that Elise's spiteful lady-in-waiting had been relegated to peel potatoes today was simply priceless. The conceited blonde would most probably break one of her manicured fingernails in the process. Or maybe even two, with a little luck.

But then the maid became serious again. "Miss Elise! What on earth took you so long? I had to knock on your door for what felt like an hour!" Her eyes wandered up and down the young woman. "And what in the name of Solaris are you wearing? You're all but naked!"

Elise looked down at herself, as if she was only now becoming aware of that fact. "But this is my most beautiful nightgown..."

"Anyway," Annmarie changed the subject, "after what happened yesterday at the dinner, I just had to check on you this morning. I wanted to see if you're at least halfway okay. That's why I swapped shifts." She let her gaze roam the room and spotted the torn green evening dress hanging over Elise's folding screen. A deep worry line formed between her eyebrows. "Your father really completely lost it this time... I still can't believe what he did to you! In front of all those people! In front of foreign guests..." The maid's eyes fixed on the princess again, full of concern. "I am so sorry for you, Miss Elise. You must feel terrible!"

"I really appreciate that you care so much about me, Annie," Elise admitted with sincere thankfulness. "But I'm mostly over the shock already, and feeling much better today. Really!" As inconspicuously as possible, she threw a quick glimpse over her shoulder at her bed, where the main reason for her happiness was, hidden under a piled-up blanket. Sonic didn't stir and seemed to still be sound asleep.

The kitchen maid was fairly puzzled. This was not the Elise she knew at all. She had actually expected to find the girl half traumatized, her tear-streaked face pressed into a crumpled pillow. Instead, she found her charge in positively high spirits, her eyes sparkling as if lit by an inner fire. And that furtive glance towards her bed had also not escaped the motherly woman. "I'm glad you're recovering so extraordinarily well from that nasty incident," she said, a little confused, but not without proud in her voice. "It seems you're really becoming a strong queen who doesn't cry, no matter what happens."

Elise nodded. "I will!"

"Still, what happened yesterday is a serious matter. As you can imagine, there has hardly been any other topic at the palace since then. Wait, wait," Annmarie quickly interjected when she saw Elise's eyes widen in horror. "What I mean to say is that we – that is, the maids, the servants, and even the guards – had briefly consulted this morning, and we made a joint decision that everyone will abide by." She took the hands of her friend and folded her own over them. The girl's delicate fingers almost disappeared in the broad, dark-skinned palms of the elderly woman, whose hands had become rough and calloused from years of kitchen work. "You're a good girl, Miss Elise. Everyone at court admires you, really. Well, with the exception of Susanna maybe, but that witch doesn't count anyway." An affectionate smile settled on the face of the kindhearted maid. "You have so much of your late mother in you. Everyone who has known her can see that. You always treat all people with love and kindness, without distinction or prejudice, and always think of the welfare of others first. That didn't go unnoticed, trust me."

"Oh Annie..." The young noblewoman was deeply moved and didn't quite know what to say. A subtle blush appeared on her pale cheeks. "That goes without saying..."

Still smiling, the kitchen maid continued. "Now it's our turn to give some of that kindness back to you, Miss Elise. We want you to life happily. So from now on, we will stand by you and support you. All of us. We will show your father that this is not the way to treat our beloved princess." Gently, she squeezed Elise's hands to add emphasis to her words. "First of all, from now on, none of the staff will call your father king anymore. From now on, some things are going to run a bit differently here than Hector might wish. He may formally be allowed to adorn himself with a title like that, but even a ruler has to earn his respect first. And someone who treats our dear princess so disrespectfully deserves no respect."

Elise was overwhelmed. She really hadn't expected such backing. A knot formed in her throat, and she still wasn't able to say anything. Because if she had opened her mouth now, she certainly would not have been able to hold back a sob.

Annmarie could read her friend's feelings from her swimming eyes. "Now, now, young Lady! What was that again about a strong queen who never cries?" Another smile flitted across the older woman's face, forming a web of laugh lines around her eyes and giving the lie to her reproachful tone of voice. "Ready for another surprise, Miss Elise? Because I brought a bit more than just warm words and good news. Look." She reached into the front pocket of her apron and pulled out something that immediately made the princess beam with delight. It was her little Sonic plush doll.

Overjoyed, Elise hugged the stuffed toy to her chest, and its mischievous grin almost made it appear as if it was at least as happy about the reunion. "Thank you, Annie! Thank you so much!"

I guess I better don't tell her that one of the cleaners found it in the trash can in her father's study, and that I also had to sew its head back on first, the kitchen maid thought.

Glad to have it back, the noblewoman looked at her fluffy toy, and involuntarily her gaze once again jerked to the mound on her bed.

Also this side glance did not escape the maid. And as if Elise's behavior had not been suspicious enough, she suddenly had the impression that this strange pile of blankets on her bed had just moved an inch. Now it's enough! What's the matter with her bed? "There you go, my dear. And now let's get back to business as usual and get your room in order. After all, I have also duties to perform." She walked past the girl to the balcony windows in order to open the curtains a crack, but didn't take her eyes off the bed for a second.

"Annie, w-wait...!"

The older woman pretended not to hear her. "By the way, it's going to rain today for sure. There are some pretty dark clouds coming in. The weather service even issued a storm warning." The maid was done with the curtains and turned to the bed. "I really hope our festival doesn't get literally rained out."

But the princess had other things to worry about at the moment. "Annie! Please wait! There's something I have to tell you-"

"Hey, what's that? Who do these funny shoes belong to? They're huge!"

"Sh-Shoes?" All of a sudden, Elise remembered about Sonic's sneakers, which were still standing on the other side of her bed, and her heart almost stopped in shock.

"I don't believe it!" Without further warning, Annmarie grabbed a corner of the blanket and pulled it off the bed with a jerk.

"Annie!" cried Elise.

"Miss Elise!" gasped Annmarie.

An uncomfortable silence thickened the air inside the room as the maid's eyes kept twitching back and forth between the princess and the barefooted Mobian Hedgehog sleeping on her bed, one of Elise's feather hairpins still stuck in the fur on his forehead.

"I was going to tell you, Annie! I swear," Elise asserted and gestured wildly, which caused the little plush Sonic in her fingers to do the same. "I, uh, we wanted to talk to you anyway. We have... a problem... that we could use your help with."

The maid had still not fully recovered from the surprise. "I don't think I can be of any help with problems of that nature!" Upset, she put her hands on her hips and looked at the princess accusingly. "Really, Miss Elise! When I said to you yesterday that you might have the chance to meet that blue Hedgehog, I didn't mean you should spend the night with him right away!"

Elise's face turned all red with embarrassment, but also with indignation. How could her best friend just think of her like that? "It's not what it looks like, okay?" she stated a bit louder than intended. "We..." She paused for a moment to collect herself. "We didn't do anything wrong." Squeezing the innocently smiling plush doll to her heart, she took a deep breath. "We fell in love, Annie."

"W-What...?! But... M-Miss Elise...!"

"It's true." Out of excitement and emotion, a fiery glint entered the girl's eyes. "There's some kind of connection between us, Annie. It's as if we have met before! And we have dreams about each other. Terrible dreams... But somehow they brought us together! And then we found out that we have feelings for one another."

All color drained from the maid's face as she grasped the implications of what the princess had just disclosed to her. "B-But you can't-"

"Please don't tell me what I can or can not do, Annmarie," Elise contradicted gently but firmly. "Only I myself will decide that from now on."

Now Annmarie couldn't help but smile, for she finally realized what was fueling this inner fire that made Elise's eyes sparkle so much and gave her this strength never known before. It's true what they say, the caring maid thought. Love changes a person. Love changes everything. Her smile grew even wider. Here she is, our strong queen, our future duchess, daughter of Alisa the Second, and heir to the throne of Soleanna.

Elise ran her hand through her hair, trying to brush back a strand that had fallen into her face. But without the support of her second hairpin, her mane proved to be unruly, and the strand slid back covering one of her eyes. It somehow made her look cute and daring at the same time. "We need your help, Annie", she continued softly. "Please. We think those dreams could be memories, of things we've experienced before. At least that's what it feels like since he... since we literally ran into each other. It's complicated, but I will try to explain it to you." A dreamy smile formed on Elise's lips, almost as broad as the one of the toy she was holding to her chest. "And we've seen twinkleworms! Twinkleworms, Annie! Can you believe it?"

Seeing her friend so happy and determined warmed her heart, and this time it was the maid who had to blink a tear away. "Alright, Miss Elise, then listen. You're going to go into your bathroom now and freshen up. And put on some decent clothes, will you? In the meantime, I'll go downstairs and get you some breakfast from the kitchen. And then, while you're eating, you can tell me what's going on. Slowly and in order."

Elise's eyes widened with excitement. "Does... Does that mean...?"

"Yes, it does. I'm going to help you. Both of you. You can count on me."

Before the princess could say anything in reply, a third voice suddenly chimed in. "Sounds great! Especially the part with the breakfast." Sonic sat up in the bed, rubbing his eyes.

The two women turned to him in surprise. "Sonic!" exclaimed Elise joyfully. "You finally woke up!"

"There's no chance of sleeping with all that noise you two are making," he claimed in jest. He looked for his missing glove and found it somewhere on the mattress. As he put it on, he shifted the gaze of his large, emerald eyes to the dark-skinned maid. "By the way, good morning, ma'am."

Elise blushed slightly as she remembered her courtly etiquette. "Annie, may I introduce you to Sonic, Sonic the Hedgehog? And, Sonic, this is Anna-Maria Kunaha, my best friend."

"No need to be so formal. Just call me Annmarie," the kitchen maid said while indicating a bow with her head. "It's a pleasure to meet you, Mr. Sonic."

"Just call me Sonic. No need to be so formal," the Mobian replied, giving her his brightest smirk. "And the pleasure's all mine." He swung his legs over the side of the bed. Slipping into his shoes, he peered at his plushy counterpart in Elise's hands. "Now that's cute! But I didn't think I'd have to worry about competition so soon."

"S-Sonic!" the princess complained and blushed again. A little embarrassed by the fact that he now knew she owned a merchandise item of him, she unconsciously pressed the happily smiling toy even tighter to her chest.

"Hey, is he enjoying that? Look at him grinning!" he teased her further before bursting into laughter. He seemed to have slept excellently and was obviously in the very best of moods.

"That's enough now, you two," Annmarie intervened, but not without smiling as well. She picked Elise's tattered evening gown from the folding screen and threw it over her arm. "I will take care of this, and try to sew it back together, Miss Elise. It would be a real pity about your mother's beautiful dress." She shook her head. "Seems like I'm getting some practice at sewing again these days. But for now I'll see what I can do about that breakfast I promised you." She went to the door, but then turned to the pair again, her hand resting on the handle. "Provided I can leave you two alone for a minute," she threatened half-jokingly, one eyebrow raised in warning.

All three of them had to laugh at that. Still a bit perplexed about the whole situation, the maid shook her head again and disappeared into the stairwell. The door fell shut behind her, and Sonic and Elise were alone.

"Sonic, I'm sorry," the noblewoman said, looking at the Hedgehog a little sheepishly. "I tried to wake you up, I really did. But it was just impossible to get you awake!"

He snickered. "Nah, it's okay. Your friend was pretty nice, after all. Actually, it's me who owes you an apology. I really didn't intend to fall asleep in your bed like that, but I just couldn't keep myself awake anymore." Guiltily, the tips of his ears dropped a few degrees. "I hope you're not mad at me."

"No, of course not! How could I?" Bashfully, she kneaded the stuffed toy in her hands. "To be honest, I... I very much enjoyed to have you with me last night."

He walked over to her and took one of her hands. "Me too," he said, and his ears perked up again. "By the way, good morning to you too, Princess."

"Good morning, sweetie." Smiling, she bent down to him and breathed a peck on the tip of his long nose.

Just as she was about to straighten up again, Sonic suddenly stood on his tiptoes and tenderly planted a kiss on her lips. "Can't leave without stealing a kiss from a princess, can I?"

Elise's cheeks flushed, and her smile turned into a beam of joy. But then the hairpin on his head caught her eyes again. She wanted to reach for it, but at that moment he spun around and headed for the balcony windows. "Sonic..."

"I'm gonna zip back to my hotel now. I also wanna freshen up a little. Besides, I really need to check on my friends again. They tend to get into quite a bit of trouble sometimes if I leave them alone for too long." He laughed as he opened the balcony door.

"Sonic!"

"And I urgently need something to munch on. You cannot live on love alone, ya know?" The image of a generously topped chili dog came to his mind, and suddenly his stomach growled audibly.

"Sonic, wait!" Gesticulating, Elise tried to somehow make him understand that there was something in his fur. "You still have..."

"Don't worry. I'll be back in no time. Just give me an hour or so." Smirking, he pointed at his plushy double in her fingers and winked at her. "He has my permission to take over until then." Quick like the wind, he crossed her balcony and leaped over the railing, curling into a ball and performing a couple of somersaults in the air. At the last second before gravity pulled him down, he unfolded himself again and looked back at her, forming both his hands into a double thumbs-up. "Love ya!" Then he fell out of sight, and Elise could only stare at the spot where he had been floating in the air just a moment ago.

"...my hairpin!"

.

-===XXX===-

.

Knuckles sat on a park bench opposite the 'Venice Inn' and watched the people walking in and out of the hotel or passing by on the street.

Despite the fact that a dark bank of clouds had rolled in and was now hiding the morning sun, the preparations for tonight's festival were in overdrive, and the streets of Soleanna rapidly filled with bustling activity. Everywhere, in every little spot, lamps and lanterns were set up. They even hung from strings and ropes stretched above the alleys between the buildings, and a candle was placed in every window.

The city was packed with tourists, many of whom were drawn to the streets for an early window shopping or in search of a suitable place to have breakfast. Store after store opened its doors, and many merchants decorated their storefronts with eye-catching signs and displays advertising special offers, local cuisine, or cheap souvenirs. Scents of smoked fish and freshly baked pastries lingered in the air. The whole town resembled a jumble of lights, colors and smells.

Even in the midst of all these different impressions and distractions, the red-furred Mobian, with his large, tricolored shoes, spiky mittens, and dreadlock-like spines, stood out from the crowd like a parrot in a dovecote. He seemed to attract the attention of the mainly human passersby almost magnetically, and to kill time, the Echidna entertained himself by grimly returning the people's stares until they averted their eyes in either guilt or intimidation.

After Amy had broken into the hotel basement yesterday to steal a hammer and use it to trash her room beyond all recognition, the manager had decided to kick them all out of the hotel. It was to be expected. And of course had that asshole charged them an absolutely obscene sum as compensation, much more than the few pieces of bulky waste Amy had smashed had been worth. It had cost them almost all the money they had had with them. Knuckles would have loved trying to renegotiate a little by placing some punchy arguments, but Tails had held him back, saying they could be lucky that the sleazy son of a bitch had refrained from calling the police and pressing charges against them.

In any case, it looked like their vacation was over. Even if they were able to find another hotel on the fly that was willing to rent out rooms to Mobians, they probably wouldn't have enough money left to pay for it. Sonic would certainly still want to attend the festival tonight, since he had talked about almost nothing else for the past two weeks, but without an at least halfway decent place to stay, they had to organize their return trip as soon as possible. And he had really no desire to be stuck in the Rift Control Center for an entire day waiting for permission to travel through the wormhole.

But the speedster had not returned the whole night, and Shadow not until the early morning hours. Puffy-eyed, reeking of booze, and in a mood so bad that it was unusual even for the black-furred grouch, he had locked himself in his room and not responded to either knocks or calls. His blood-soaked gloves had also not escaped Knuckles' notice. The black Hedgehog was known for constantly getting into some sort of conflict with humans, and it was nothing short of a miracle that he hadn't killed anyone so far.

And they always say I am difficult, Knuckles thought, grinning. Tails had asked him to wait outside and keep an eye out for Sonic while he himself wanted to pack up their few belongings and do some further damage control. Well, he can try it if he wants. Things can hardly get any worse. In the meantime, I'll make myself comfortable here. Sitting with his legs wide apart, occupying as much space on the park bench as possible, the Echidna folded his arms in front of his chest and let his mind wander.

He was glad to finally have a moment of peace and quiet. From time to time, he very much enjoyed being alone for a while, which was a handy quality for the leader of the Emerald Clan, who was the only one who had to permanently reside on Angel Island. But Tikal, his sister and second-in-command, would wisely lead the clan in his absence and keep a good watch over the flying island and the Master Emerald.

Although it had been quite a while since Sonic, Tails and Shadow had retrieved the sacred gem from Eggman, it wasn't very likely that the crazy fatso had already recovered from that encounter. Tails had even cut off the man's right hand in that fight. I really wouldn't have thought the little peace-loving Fox was capable of such a badass move. Knuckles' grin grew wider. Oh, I wish I could have been there to see it with my own eyes. Yes, last time that madman had really just barely escaped with his life.

But suddenly his expression darkened again, and the smile on his lips disappeared. Sadly, there was someone else who had just barely survived her last encounter with the crazed scientist. Rouge... He gnashed his teeth.

His girlfriend was still in no condition to travel, and, blind as she now was, she would not have gotten much out of their sightseeing tour anyway. Actually, he hadn't wanted to leave her alone. But she had persuaded him to accept Sonic's suggestion to travel to Earth realm and spend a few days vacationing in Soleanna, the City of Water. The change of scenery would do him good, she had said. And she wanted him and Sonic to fix their relationship, to renew their friendship.

Unlike him, she didn't blame the Hedgehog for what had happened. In her opinion, each of them had failed that day. She had tried to make him understand that Sonic was probably already reproaching himself the most, because he felt responsible for them all in some way. And with one particular statement she had hit him right in the guts. Namely when she had surmised that the main reason why he was blaming Sonic so badly was probably because he didn't want to face his own guilt.

Even though he was a little slow on the uptake every once in a while and could be quite stubborn at times, Knuckles couldn't deny that the Bat girl was possibly right. If you hold a grudge for too long, it will one day poison your heart, had been her words. He sighed, closing his eyes. And let's be honest, the speedster means something to me. We've fought side by side more times than I can count, and he's saved my life more than once. Everyone's life. Our friendship is important to me. If only he wouldn't act so much like an asshole lately!

They say time heals all wounds, Knuckles thought. But even all the time in the world wouldn't give Rouge her eyesight back. So how could he forgive, how could he forget, when he was reminded of what had happened every time he looked at her, every time he looked into her pale, faded eyes?

He wished so much that she could be here with him now. She would have known what he should do, what he should say. She always knew. She was his better half, even if he didn't like to admit it sometimes. I miss you, my pretty Batty... I may not say it often, and certainly not often enough, but... I love... you...

His thoughts became more and more adrift, blurred into one another, and Knuckles hardly noticed how his head slowly sank to his chest. The night had been short and full of commotion, and tiredness descended on him like a leaden weight. It pulled at him, dragged him down into the dark depths of a restless slumber, where painful memories and the longing for his dearest one combined into a terrible dream.

.

-===XXX===-

.

Angel Island was falling. He could feel it moving beneath his feet, could feel the huge flying landmass shaking and groaning like a tormented giant. The vibrations caused the snow on the mountains in its center to break loose and rush down into the forests and valleys as thundering avalanches.

He could also sense that the Master Emerald, which had been linked to his soul by an ancient ritual many years ago, had been removed from its shrine, was no longer resting on its altar. Without its powerful influence, the island on which he and his clan kept it, usually guarding and protecting it, would inevitably fall from the sky and crash into the sea.

Together with Sonic and Tails, he ran across the icy plains, struggling not to slip on the slick ground while the cold air turned his breath into white clouds. Above their heads flew Rouge, whirling up snow with every beat of her wide dark wings.

The air was filled with missiles and tracer bullets, generously distributed by an entire army of combat robots closing in on him and his friends. Explosions punched smoking craters into the frozen soil, launching chunks of ice and fountains of snow into the air where the soaring heat melted them into rain that fell back on Angel Island.

Eggman was attacking. Again. His sudden, unexpected strike against Mobius and Angel Island came completely out of the blue this time and had caught everyone off guard. Only two days ago, he had already initiated a full-scale campaign against Earth realm for the umpteenth time, and like many times before they had helped the human forces to repel his robot armies. Nobody had expected him to start another, even more violent offensive on their home world in such a short amount of time. And this time it really seemed as if he would succeed in stealing Mobius' most precious treasure, the sacred gem of gems. This time it seemed as if they were too late to stop him.

The madman had found a way to make an artificial winter fall over the flying island, turning it into an icy desert in just a few hours. Large parts of the landscape were either frozen or buried under meters of snow. His plan was probably to make it harder for them to fight back. Most Mobians were gifted with great agility and pretty quick on their feet. Not to mention the powers Sonic was able to unleash when he really got going, even without tapping into the energy of the Chaos Emeralds. But on ice as smooth as glass, or on multiple layers of powder snow? Not so much.

Hovering above them at some distance, the freaky scientist tried to escape in his saucer-shaped aircraft. Beneath his vessel was the Master Emerald, dangling down in the grip of an iron claw on a chain like a wrecking ball of green glass. With every inch the gem was moved farther away, the floating island became more unstable, and sooner or later it would go into free fall. And at that point, they would no longer be able to catch up with their enemy. Let alone the fact that it would not only be Angel Island that would enter free fall then. They had to step it up a notch.

Furiously, he sank one of his spiked gloves into another battle robot, turning advanced war technology into scrap metal. The force of his blow sent the sparking remains sliding across the ice for dozens of meters. At the same time, Rouge above him folded her wings to her body and performed a spinning wheel kick against one of the flying drones, damaging its rotor system. Out of control, the crippled machine went into a tailspin and hit the frozen ground hard. Leaking fuel ignited, and moments later the wreck blew up in a booming explosion.

A grim smile crept onto his face. His girlfriend was in no way inferior to him when it came to dishing out a few good punches. And at least they didn't have to worry about trapped creatures in Eggman's robots anymore. The fat maniac had apparently found an easier and more efficient way of powering his machines a while ago.

Without slowing down, he turned his head to look for the others. The amber-furred Fox was visibly giving his everything, wildly jumping around on his tails and taking out drone after drone, sometimes even leaping from one to another. He knew the boy felt more comfortable at home, where he could tinker around with computers and all that stuff in the peaceful seclusion of Eggman's abandoned hangar complex, but when the shit hit the fan, he always bravely stood by his friends. He kept saying that he hated having to fight, but if he kept it up like this, he would become a real Mobian warrior one day, maybe even worthy of being admitted into the Emerald Clan.

His smile broadened even more, but when he finally spotted Sonic, it faded almost instantly. The Hedgehog was clearly having a hard time to keep up with the others, and that was obviously not only due to the slippery terrain. With half-closed eyes, he absent-mindedly plowed through one or the other opponent here and there without accomplishing much. The sight was as bewildering as it was shocking. Usually, the Blue Blur took the lead, leaving his friends to pick up the remains at best.

What the hell was wrong with him? He seemed to have had problems for quite some time now. He wasn't as cocky as he used to be. He didn't like to run as much as he used to. And his moods were unbearable at times. But here and now, they couldn't afford any weaknesses. "Sonic, you sucker!" he called out to his friend. "We could use a hand here! Move your fuckin' ass!"

As if he had been startled out of a doze, Sonic gazed up with bleary eyes. He looked totally exhausted and gave the impression of not having slept a wink in days.

At that very moment, the faster and faster dropping island suddenly tilted a few meters to one side, and he had to watch in horror as Mobius' greatest hero, the so-called fastest thing alive, completely lost his footing on the ice, tripped over his own feet, and crashed face-first into a huge snowbank.

The scene was so disturbing that he also became distracted, paying too little attention to the fighting and the turmoil going on around him. It was only for a second. And yet it was a second too long.

One of the combat robots had approached him unnoticed. The soulless machine struck without mercy, slamming into him with full force, breaking both his legs with a single blow.

The pain came so suddenly and unexpectedly that he had not even time to scream. He fell at full speed, rolling over again and again on the hard, frozen ground. His left arm broke in several places as he tried to cushion his fall at least a bit, and he could feel a number of ribs giving way inside his body as well. No soft snowbank for him. Classic.

When his slide across the ice finally came to an end, he felt as if every single bone in his body had been replaced with barbed wire. Well, that sure went like crap, he thought, and when he almost had to laugh at his own gallows humor, the whole world suddenly started to spin before his eyes. His broken ribs dug painfully into his lungs, and every breath burned like fire in his chest. No, laughing wasn't such a great idea right now.

Only now did he hear Rouge scream, somewhere above him, like a harpy. The poor girl had surely witnessed his little accident. Gritting his teeth, he braced himself on his uninjured arm to look around.

Tails was a good distance away from him. The young Fox was literally surrounded by robots at that moment, and engaged in the battle of his life. He had certainly also noticed what had happened, because the shocked expression on his face spoke volumes.

Sonic, on the other hand, was still trying to fight his way out of that hill of snow he had stumbled into, kicking with all his limbs. His feet moved so quickly that their outlines blurred, but the faster he moved, the more they slipped away on the ice. The sight was almost comical.

He heard a sinister laugh above him and raised his head. Eggman was still hovering in the sky, and now he had the barrels of the energy weapons mounted on his aircraft pointed down at him. The villainous human had lived long enough among the Mobians to know that the gem he was about to steal was mentally connected to the red-furred Echidna in front of his guns. That the leader of the Emerald Clan was able to track it down anywhere, anytime. All the man had to do to prevent him from doing so was to pull the trigger and finish him off.

An icy gust of wind swept over him, and suddenly he realized how weak he was, how much he was freezing, and how violently he was trembling. He had never been injured so badly before. He could feel his strength leaving him, pouring out of him like blood from an open artery. He was failing fast.

A second later, the one responsible for the gust of wind landed next to him, spreading her wings protectively over his shivering body. Rouge had come to his side, and she looked like an angel and a demon at the same time.

What was she doing? What was she thinking? She was the only one who was able to fly, the only one who was still able to go after Eggman now. She had to protect the Master Emerald, not him.

She gave him a worried look, and the gleam in her eyes was displaying every feeling she had for him. He understood her without words. She was not going to leave him, to leave him alone. She would rather die by his side. His heart clenched like a fist. He wanted to tell her to get away, to tell her that he loved her too, to tell her all the things he had never said, had never said often enough, but his perforated lungs did not even give him enough air to breathe.

She turned away from him, fixed her gaze on the threat above them, and at that moment, Eggman fired his weapons.

There was no sound. Only a dazzling flash of light, so bright that he had to squint his eyes, even here beneath her dark wings, under which she tried to protect him. The smell of burnt flesh and scorched fur hit his nostrils and almost made him gag.

Then, Rouge began to scream, and never in his life would he forget that sound. It was a terrifying, bloodcurdling, heartbreaking cry, so full of fear and suffering that it pierced his heart even more than his ears. Twitching, she collapsed beside him, and the leathery membrane of her wings whipped him in the face as she flapped them wildly in pain. In her agony, she dug her claws into the frozen ground, scratching over the ice and tearing it open.

She turned her head, and he saw her face, saw her eyes. What had happened to them. What was left of them.

"Knuckles," she cried. "W-Where are you?! I... I can't see you anymore! I can't see anything! Help! Help me, Knuckles!" She screamed again, a long, inarticulate exclamation of absolute despair, and her face contorted into a grimace of horror as she realized that Eggman's lasers had burned her eyeballs and blinded her.

His body began to slide across the ice again as the flying isle finally went into free fall. The mad scientist had escaped, and the Master Emerald was gone. Angel Island was falling.

Somewhere behind him, Rouge screamed and cried in panic and pain, until her vocal cords overstretched and her voice became hoarse. Again and again she called him, called his name. "Knuckles! Knuckles..."

.

-===XXX===-

.

"...Knuckles. Knuckles!"

Someone shook him by the shoulder, and he was still so caught up in his torturous dream that he jumped to his feet and slapped the hand away out of a reflex.

"Whoa! Easy, pal!"

"Sonic!" The Echidna blinked against the light a few times until his sleepy eyes adjusted to the brightness again. "If you sneak up on me like that again, I'm gonna kick your ass!" When he was able to see properly again, he immediately noticed something on Sonic's forehead and pointed at it. "What the fuck is that?"

"What do you mean?" The Hedgehog felt for his head and discovered the foreign object in his fur. Puzzled, he pulled it out and saw that it was one of Elise's feather-shaped hairpins. "What the..." he said more to himself. "And this is how she lets me run around? What was she thinking?"

"She?" Knuckles tilted his head and arched an eyebrow. "So it's true! You spent the night with a woman!"

"Hey, wait a sec! It's not what it looks like!"

"Ah come on, speedster. You can be straight with me. There's no need to be shy." The Echidna laughed and gave Sonic a pat on the back. It was just a friendly slap, yet there was so much force in it that the Hedgehog involuntarily had to take a step forward. "So, what does that girl look like? Have you been on a date with her?"

Sonic felt the blood rush to his head as he blushed. "Well, no... I really don't think you can call it that..."

"It's okay, man. Love changes everything, you know? It makes you feel like every little moment in your life is great."

Baffled, the Hedgehog stared at his friend. That didn't sound like the Knuckles he knew at all. He was probably longing for Rouge again. Somehow he didn't understand the two of them. They almost never seemed to agree on anything, and argued at every opportunity, but still neither of them could stand to be without the other for even a few days. But if the Echidna was in the mood to talk about feelings, it was an occasion that shouldn't be wasted. "Knux, listen... It's quite a good thing that we have a moment in private out here." A little embarrassed, Sonic stepped from one foot to the other. "Because I wanted to apologize to you. About my behavior yesterday. And... And also about Rouge."

When he heard his partner's name, Knuckles felt a little twinge in his heart again. But suddenly he realized the meaning of what Sonic had just said. "Wow! Did I get that right? The great Sonic the Hedgehog is apologizing?"

It was so clear that he was going to enjoy this to the fullest, Sonic thought, gnashing his teeth.

But then the protector of Angel Island lowered his gaze and crossed his arms in front of his chest. "To be honest... I've thought 'bout the whole thing again." Or, to put it better, Rouge was thinking for me, as she always does. "I guess it's rather me who has to say sorry. Maybe I was a bit too harsh on you." Now it was the Echidna who was grinding his teeth.

The Blue Blur was completely dumbfounded. This had to be the first time ever that he heard the red-furred hothead apologizing for something. "You mean..."

"Yeah, for fuck's sake! Let's forget what happened, and just be friends again, okay?"

The Hedgehog laughed in relief as a huge weight was taken off his shoulders. "Okay!"

Knuckles rubbed his hands. "Ha! Now that we've got that awkward stuff outta the way, you've to tell me 'bout that girl you spent the night with! And don't leave out any details, you hear?" Snickering, he slapped Sonic on the back again, and this time he even almost knocked the Hedgehog over with enthusiasm. "So, is it really that red-haired chica with the blue eyes?" he continued his interrogation. "That princess girl?"

Sonic's jaw almost dropped in surprise. "W-What's going on here?! How come you all already know about her?"

"We saw a painting of her at the museum yesterday, and Shadow had some kind of hunch," Knuckles explained. "He's got brains, I'll give him that. Guess that's why G.U.N. is employing him as an agent instead of locking him up and using him as a guinea pig." He laughed again, shaking his head. "Sonic and a girlfriend! Who would have ever thought that possible? And a human one, of all things. So you like it exotic, huh? No wonder Amy never scored."

Sonic blushed again. "Give it a break, Knux, really..."

"Aww, don't play innocent on me, buddy." The Echidna wrapped an arm around the other Mobian's neck and put on a filthy grin. "Like I said, there's no need to be shy. Uncle Knuckles here knows the ropes, hehe."

With some effort, Sonic freed himself from his friend's grip. "I already told you, it's not what you think."

"Yeah, sure. Tell that to your granny. Or to the boy." Knuckles pointed at the entrance of the 'Venice Inn', where Tails was just coming out of the hotel, a pained expression on his face. He was carrying the suitcase with the Chaos Emeralds, holding it as if it were tray of raw eggs. When he saw his friends standing together on the other side of the street, his expression visibly brightened, and his two tails started to swish through the air with excitement.

"What's he doing with the Emeralds?" asked Sonic, confused and more than slightly concerned.

"He can explain that much better than I. But while you were making out with that princess, you really missed out on some action here." Knuckles snickered again. "Anyway, I hope you gave your chica a proper kiss goodbye. 'Cause we have no place to stay anymore. And Amy's on a rampage."

...