"A Difficult Choice"
Authors:Francis Tolbert-Robert Brown
Disclaimer: This story uses characters created and copyrighted by Sega of
America, Inc. and Archie Comics (except where noted, in which case
they were created and copyrighted by us). The authors hereby give
permission for this story to be downloaded and/or printed at 1 copy
per user as long as (1) no changes to the story are made without our
express written(not e-mailed) permission and (2) no attempt is made
to profit from this story. If either or both rules are violated,
it will be considered a violation of copyright law.
Author's Note: HE TRICKED ME!! I came by just to check our new location on
the sonic page, and next thing I know, I'm typing this author's note. Well,
seeing that I'm here, I hope everyone is enjoying our stories, and I want to
thank everyone who has written us. I also want to thank 'Bookshire' for
posting our stories in the first place, and for giving us our own spot on the
page. We will keep on doing our best to entertain you with our stories, and
answer any questions we can about them.
Peace, see ya later.
Cast of Characters (in order of appearance)
Bunnie Rabbot
Antoine D'Coolette
Donovan###
Sonic Hedgehog
Rotor
Princess Sally Acorn
Dulcy
Miles "Tails" Prower
Princess Sondra Acorn***
#7
Bunnie lit the candles and blew out the match softly. She smiled to
herself and looked around her hut. The candlelight mixed with the approaching
twilight to create a slightly dim, but romantic atmosphere. The food she had
prepared filled her nostrils with pleasant smells as it simmered on her stove.
The small table was set for two, seated directly across from each other. She
had used her finest dishes, another family heirloom she had managed to salvage.
"Yes," she thought, "everything is perfect. Now for the next step."
"Nicole," she said, looking at the only corner of her hut completely
engulfed in shadows, "can y'all search your database for any music that would
be considered romantic?"
"Searching now, Bunnie," Nicole answered, accompanied by a few beeps.
"Search complete. I have four hundred thirty-two musical programs that fit
your description."
"That's a lot of help," Bunnie muttered. "Well, do you got anything that
Antoine might like?"
"I do not have sufficient data to comply with that request."
Bunnie smirked. She had a feeling Nicole was being ornery on purpose. It
all started when Sonic got a hold of her and loosened her attitude. "Well then
I guess I'd better give you back to Sally," Bunnie said slyly. "I'm sure she
has some long, boring calculations for you to do."
Nicole's monitor flickered. "There is no need for that," she said
quickly. "Further analysis has narrowed the field down to fifteen choices."
Bunnie stifled a chuckle. "Will that last for about an hour?"
"Each song is approximately three minutes in length. I can include other
songs that might be more to your liking to fill the remaining time."
"Make it about half and half," Bunnie said, walking toward her bathroom.
"And start playing when sugarfox knocks at the door. I got some preparin' of
my own to do."
"As you wish, Bunnie," Nicole said as Bunnie closed the door, sounding
relieved.
She started the water running and undressed after she had adjusted it to
the right temperature. She took a quick shower, but a thorough one, knowing
that Antoine would be there soon. Bunnie thought back to when he had surprised
her in the shower only a few months back. That had been so embarassing on
both ends, and she had no desire to repeat the occurrence.
Finishing in record time, for her anyway, she dried off as quickly, threw
on a robe and walked to her bedroom. She opened her closet and started
searching for a specific dress, one she had waited to use until a special
night, and she couldn't think of a more special night than this. When she
found it, though, it had quite a few holes in it. "My mama's dress!" she
exclaimed. "Damn, I was sure I mothballed it. Now what am I gonna do?"
She looked over the dress to assess the damage. While the lower part of
it was relatively untouched, the upper had been pretty much eaten through. She
stared at it, trying to decide what to do, then hit upon an idea. Grabbing
a pair of scissors, she cut away the eaten part until only a long skirt
remained. She threw her robe on her bed and put on her best jumpsuit. She
then slipped the skirt on and made a couple of quick stitches at the waist to
make it fit better. That done, she looked at herself in the mirror.
The dark blue of the skirt matched well with the purple jumpsuit and
together could be taken for a whole dress. Bunnie smiled, turning around. She
stared at her profile and saw that from the right side, it was impossible to
tell that she was anything but a beautiful, sensuous doe. Her smile turned sad
as her robotic arm came back into view. "Maybe one day," she whispered to her
reflection.
Bunnie heard a soft knocking at the door as she put on the finishing
touches. "Bunnie, are you home?" a muffled voice asked as Nicole started
playing the first selection.
Bunnie took in a deep breath and let it out slow. "Time's here, girl,"
she told her reflection. She opened the door to her room and called, "Come on
in, Antoine."
The door opened and Antoine walked in. In his hands were a large bouquet
of flowers, cut and trimmed and placed in a crystal vase. "Oh, how beautiful!"
Bunnie said gladly, walking up to him and taking the vase. "I know just where
to put these."
Antoine just watched silently as she placed the vase in the center of the
table. Bunnie noticed him staring at her and smiled. "Is something wrong,
Antoine?" she asked calmly, walking up to him and taking his hand in hers.
Antoine shook his head slowly. "N-no," he stammered, clearing his throat.
"I just am thinking that perhaps I am a bit underdressed," he explained,
indicating his uniform.
"You look fine to me, sugah," Bunnie whispered in his ear, lightly kissing
it.
"And you look completely ravishing, my lovely little doe," Antoine
returned, kissing her back.
"Now come here and sit down," she said, leading him to the table, "I got a
whole meal prepared especially for you."
Antoine looked flustered as he sat down. "Am I forgetting some special
day?" he wondered aloud. "It seems like we are to be celebrating something."
"We are," Bunnie said mysteriously, walking toward the kitchen.
"Hmmm, I am not believing it is your birthday, or mine, or an anniversary
of some sort," Antoine muttered, bewildered.
Bunnie just kept smiling as she brought in the food. "I'll tell ya,
eventually," she said. "But for now, just relax and enjoy. I went through a
lot to make sure this was perfect, and I intend to follow through."
A half-hour later, Antoine and Bunnie were leaning back in their chairs,
contented. The remnants of a large meal were evident on their dishes.
"That was one of the best meals I have ever to be tasting," Antoine commented,
wiping his mouth with a napkin.
"I'm glad about that, sugah," Bunnie said, smiling.
Antoine leaned forward and rested his elbows on the table. "So, are you
now going to tell me what zis special reason is?" he asked. "Whatever it
is, it has put you in a very good mood tonight."
Bunnie leaned forward until her face was just inches away from his. "Oh,
it's nothing really," she said quietly, her breath soft against his face.
"I just wanted to show you how much I love you."
"And I love you too," Antoine said, taking her hands in his. His ears
perked up as he heard a new song begin. "May I have the honor of this dance?"
he asked, rising from the table.
"I'd be delighted," Bunnie answered, standing and moving into his arms.
Antoine held her close and they started swaying in time to the music,
cheek-to-cheek. "Can you answer me one question?" he whispered as they
danced.
"Anything, sugah."
"Not that I am complaining, but I am just wondering why you decided to
do this now. What brought this on?"
Bunnie moved her head back until she could look Antoine in the eyes.
"When we were in the Void, it offered us our deepest desires in order to stop
us from destroying it. I was getting second thoughts, and so were all the
others. But not you Antoine. You said that having me by your side was the
most important thing to you; so much so that the Void couldn't even try to
offer you nothing."
"Oui, but..."
"Let me finish," Bunnie interrupted. "At that point, I knew that no
matter what the Void offered, it couldn't compare to being with you. For the
first time in my life, I knew what it was like to be totally loved, and to
totally be in love; and I just wanted to share that feeling with you."
Tears formed in Antoine's eyes. "Ah, my little doe," he whispered. "You
have made me the happiest fox in the forest tonight. No, in all of Mobius,
there cannot be one as happy as I am tonight."
Bunnie smiled, drawing his head to hers. "And the night's not over yet,
sugarfox," she said softly, kissing him gently on the lips.
Antoine embraced her more warmly and began kissing her as he had in the
Void. Bunnie responded to his passion with her own, hugging him as close and
as tight as she could. Bunnie felt as if the world was standing still, and
the only things that could move were her and Antoine. Everything had gone as
planned so far. Nothing could ruin this night.
A sharp crack, followed by a groan from Antoine's mouth brought her back
to reality. "Antoine?" she asked nervously, backing away from him a couple
of steps. "What happened?"
Antoine was holding his right side, groaning in pain. "It eez nothing,"
he forced out through clenched teeth.
Bunnie took Antoine into her bedroom and made him lie down. "Nicole, end
music and prepare for a medical scan," she called, running over and grabbing
the computer.
"Starting scan, now, Bunnie," Nicole said as Bunnie brought her into the
room. Nicole bathed the squirming Antoine in light. "Scan complete."
"Well, what's wrong with him?" Bunnie asked impatiently.
"Antoine is suffering from some cracked right ribs due to an inordinate
amount of direct crushing pressure applied to the area."
"Mind repeating that in English, Nicole?"
"You hugged him too tight, and cracked a couple of his ribs, Bunnie.
He'll have to be taped up and rest in bed for at least a couple of weeks."
Bunnie looked at Antoine in horror. "What have I done?" she moaned.
"It eez not your fault, Bunnie," Antoine said, though talking caused him
obvious pain. "You did not know it would happen."
Bunnie just started backing up, shaking her head. "What have I done?"
she repeated. She turned around and ran out of her bedroom and out of her hut.
Antoine tried to get up and follow her, but he was just in too much pain.
"Bunnie!" he yelled, grabbing at his side again. "Wait! Please! Do not be
leaving me!"
Wrapped up in her own grief and despair, Bunnie did not hear Antoine's
pleas. She ran out of Knothole and into the Great Forest, trying to outrun
the pain. "How could I have thought I could have a normal life looking like
this?" she thought, tears streaming from her eyes. "I could've seriously hurt
sugarfox tonight! I'm a monster!"
She ran through the Forest, the trees and bushes catching her dress. She
struggled out of her skirt and kept running in just her jumpsuit. She ran
until she could run no more and collapsed on the forest floor, crying. She
felt all her grief being wrung out of her as she cried, leaving behind an
intense anger and hatred.
She stared at her robotic parts, her anger growing. Yes, they were
capable of so much good, but she was not in the mood to see that at the moment.
All she saw were hideous things of destruction and evil, and she wanted to be
rid of them. She pulled at her arm and legs, trying to detach them. But in
her blind rage, she forgot about the latches that held them in place. Try as
she might, she could not even loosen them, and that only increased her rage.
The sounds of battle caught her attention. She ran toward the source
and saw two SWATbots with their guns trained on Donovan. A third SWATbot lay
fallen on the ground, its arm missing. Apparently the gun had somehow
exploded, which was probably the only reason Donovan was as yet unroboticized.
But Bunnie paid no attention to that. All she saw was an outlet for her
anger. She rushed the SWATbots, yelling madly.
The SWATbots turned to face her, but she was on them before they could
register her as a threat. She buried a shoulder into the midsection of the
first robot, driving them both backward into a tree. The SWATbots crunched
together and fell to the ground, sparks flying from their damaged areas.
But Bunnie wasn't nearly done. She rained down a flurry of punches,
chops, kicks, and stomps on her fallen foes. She kept pounding them until
nothing remained but a block of metal no bigger than a brick. And even then,
she kept stomping until that block was firmly and completely buried in the
ground.
She fell to her knees, still pounding the ground, but crying now. As her
anger drained away, her grief returned; it seemed she was incapable of feeling
anything else at the moment.
Donovan stared at her, not quite knowing what to make of this situation.
"Do I really want to bother her in this state?" he asked himself, then
suffered a feeling of deja vu. "Still," he continued, "she did just save my
tail, so I should at least try to find out what's wrong."
Donovan crept slowly up to her and laid a hand on her shoulder. Bunnie
pulled away at first, but because the pain was so great, she found herself
relating all that had happened. "And it's all 'cause of these!" she finished,
casting a bitter glance at her robotic parts. "If I had my way, I'd be rid
of them in one way or the other!"
Donovan had grown extremely thoughtful in the latter moments of Bunnie's
tale. Seeing her trying to unlatch her robotic parts, he reached inside his
vest and pulled out a small canister. "Be careful what you wish for, Bonnie,"
he said, shaking it, "you might just get it." He sprayed her in the face with
the contents of the canister.
Bunnie coughed and gagged, then passed out. Donovan picked her up on his
shoulder. "Device one, activate." he said quietly, so as not to disturb
Bunnie. His rocket boots fired up and he flew off, heading for Knothole.
Meanwhile, back in Knothole, everyone had heard Antoine screaming for
Bunnie to come back and had hurried to Bunnie's hut to see what was wrong.
While Tails, Sondra, and Dulcy managed crowd control, Sonic, Sally, and Rotor
assessed the situation. "Man," Sonic said after Antoine had been coaxed into
talking, "that's rough."
"Yeah," Rotor agreed. "I guess Bunnie got so wrapped up in the moment,
she forgot how strong she was."
"Quiet you two," Sally ordered, walking out of the bedroom. "Antoine's
finally asleep, and I don't want him waking up any time soon."
"Maybe I should fetch Tanis," Sonic suggested. "He's a pretty powerful
magician, so he might be able to heal him up."
"Good idea, Sonic," Sally said. "Just try not to call attention to this,"
she finished lamely, as Sonic had already taken off.
"Hey, where's Sonic going?" Dulcy asked, poking her head through the open
door.
"Don't worry about it Dulcy," Sally said calmly. "Just keep everyone
out."
Dulcy whispered something to Tails and Sondra, then hunched her way into
the hut. "Everyone's getting pretty restless out there, Sally," she said.
"They're imagining some pretty wild things about Tony. You gotta tell them
something!"
"Oh, all right," Sally sighed. She walked outside and was immediately
berated with questions about Antoine's well-being; animals were wondering if
he was ill, had been attacked, and some other far-fetched things.
Sally held her hands up for quiet. "Antoine is all right," she said
when everyone had quieted down. "He just had a bit of an accident and cracked
a couple of ribs. Sonic went to get Tanis to heal him up."
"Are you sure it was an accident?" a voice asked. "And if it was,
what happened?"
Sally detected a look of anger on both Tails' and Sondra's faces. She
recognized the voice as the same one who had questioned Sondra about her
motives before entering the Void. But try as she might, she could not put
the voice with a face, and that disturbed her.
Sally cursed inwardly. There had recently been some disturbance among
the citizens of Knothole. It seemed that someone had been trying to stir up
some resentment against Sondra for being different and unnatural. Most of
them had rejected the idea, but a few were taking it to heart, and she blamed
the mysterious voice for it; especially seeing no one had stepped forward to
take credit for what was happening.
"Antoine said so himself," Sally answered, keeping her voice level. "We
finally got him to get some rest, so I'd like it if everyone returned to what
they were doing and kept this area as quiet as possible."
"C'mon everyone, move along," Tails said, starting to usher them away.
"Yeah, you heard my sis," Sondra added. "We'll tell you when we find
out anything else."
Most of them went willingly, but a few cast angry glances at Sondra, then
at Sally. Sally waited until everyone had left, then motioned Tails and
Sondra inside. "So, are you gonna tell us what really happened, Aunt Sally?"
Tails asked, trying to act innocent.
Sally smirked. "That don't work anymore, Tails," she said, chuckling.
"You don't look the part anymore."
"Awww....."
"Don't worry, Miles," Sondra said, smiling. "You're still looking good
to me!"
Tails started blushing, and Sally and Sondra burst out laughing. Not
too loud, because Antoine was still sleeping, but it did make Tails blush an
even brighter red.
Further comments were interrupted by a knock at the door. "Sonic must be
back," Sally said, putting her hand on the knob. "But since when does he knock
at the door?"
She opened the door and found Bunnie lying on the ground, unconscious.
"Bunnie!" she exclaimed, kneeling by her friend. "Are you all right? Wake
up!"
But Bunnie just lay there, asleep. Tails, Sondra, and Dulcy rushed out of
the hut. "What happened to her?" Sondra asked, helping Sally get Bunnie up to
a sitting position.
Dulcy moved her head close to Bunnie's and sniffed. Her eyes glazed over
for a second and she muttered, "I'm home, Ma." Then she shook her head.
"Whoa, smells like someone used a sleep gas on her, pretty strong, too. She'll
be out till morning."
"How'd you know that, Dulcy?" Tails asked.
Dulcy pointed her snout up and blew out a small, thin stream of a green
smoke. "As I get older, I find more powers. I found this one the other day."
"Well, whatever happened to her, we better get her inside before anyone
else sees her like this," Sally said, dragging her inside.
As they were dragging her inside, a note fell from her hand. Sondra saw
it and picked up the note as she and Tails were coming inside. "This fell off
Bunnie, Sally," Sondra said as she handed the note to Sally.
Sally read the note. "When Bonnie is up to it tomorrow, have her meet me
at Sanctuary. She can bring whoever she likes. Donovan."
Sally's brows drew together in concern. "What is Donovan up to?" she
wondered. "What business could he possibly have with Bunnie?"
Then Sally noticed more handwriting scrawled at the bottom of the paper.
"If you are the one reading this, Silly, please do not throw this note away
like you did the last one."
Sally smirked. She felt like throwing the note away just for spite, but
something stopped her. "Maybe I should at least tell Bunnie," she thought.
"After all, it is for her."
"What's the note about, Aunt Sally?" Tails asked.
"Oh, it's nothing, honey," she answered. "Just wait for Sonic to bring
Tanis back; I got something to do right now."
Tails and Sondra exchanged a glance, then stared at Sally. "Why don't
we believe you?" they asked, almost simultaneously.
Sally shrugged, trying to change the subject. But Tails and Sondra
continued to stare at her. "All right, already," she said, throwing her hands
up in surrender, "I'll tell you. Besides, I think I hear Sonic coming now."
"I don't hear..." Sondra began. "Hey!" she exclaimed as Sally slipped
out the door.
"Forget it, Sondra," Tails said, grabbing her arm as she was about to go
after her sister. "When Aunt Sally wants to be alone, no one can find her."
"In the meantime," Dulcy said, hunching back into the hut, you two help me
figure out where to put Bunnie. Antoine's using her bed and he can't be
moved."
"What really happened to him?" Sondra asked, concerned.
"Rotor'll fill you in," Dulcy said, picking up Bunnie and moving toward
the bedroom.
Sally sat by the power ring pool, lost in thought. Donovan was a mystery
to her; he seemed capable of helping her one minute and trying to capture her
the next. "I just don't know what he's about anymore," she thought. "He's not
the squirrel I knew back in Mobotropolis. He and Antoine used to be the best
of friends, and he was my friend too. But now, I'm not so sure I can trust
him."
She looked at the waters of the pool, and the ripples leaves made as they
fell off the nearby trees. "But he did help bring my father back to me," she
admitted. "I suppose I owe him at least this much. Very well, then. When
Bunnie's up to it, we'll meet him at Sanctuary."
The next day, Bunnie and Sally walked to Sanctuary and sat down on the
steps. "What do you think this meeting's about, Sally girl?" Bunnie asked.
"I don't know, Bunnie, but it can't be a trick. If he wanted to capture
us again, he wouldn't be doing it here."
"I guess." Bunnie looked around impatiently. "I hope he shows up soon; I
gotta get back and check on Antoine."
"Bunnie, we talked about this," Sally scolded gently. "Antoine's not
going to heal any faster with you hovering over him. Yes, Tanis healed his
ribs, but he still needs a few days bedrest."
"I still wish he'd show up," Bunnie grumbled, looking back toward
Knothole.
"But he is here," a voice said behind them. They turned to look and found
Tanis standing at the top of the stairs, smiling gently. "He is waiting inside
for you. Please, follow me."
Sally and Bunnie walked up the stairs and into the church. "He is sitting
down in front," Tanis whispered.
They thanked him and made their way to the front of the church. Donovan
was sitting on the front bench, legs crossed, hands on his knees, and his eyes
closed. He seemed to be deep in meditation, and both Sally and Bunnie weren't
sure they should interrupt. Just as they were about to tiptoe away, Donovan
spoke. "Thank you for coming, Bonnie. I'll admit, I wasn't sure you would."
"Well, you wanted me here, and now I am," Bunnie said. "Mind tellin' me
why I'm here?"
"All in good time," Donovan said, still not moving. "Did you bring anyone
with you?"
"I'm here." Sally said.
"That's good, Silly, and I'm glad to see you didn't throw away the note."
"Oh, come off it, Donovan," Sally said, a little angry. "I know you know
my name, so stop calling me 'Silly'!"
"I think we're getting off subject here," Donovan said. "Princess, if
that will suit you better, please ask Nicole to access her file on the Gem of
Enchanted Dreams."
"Why should I..."
Donovan smiled. "Humor me."
Sally took Nicole from her boot and opened her up. "Nicole, access file
on the Gem of Enchanted Dreams."
"Accessing now, Sally." Nicole said, followed by a brief pause. "Unable
to access file."
"Why not?" Sally demanded.
"File access requires an authorization code, Sally."
"That's odd," Sally said. "I know Daddy time-locked some files so I
couldn't access them till I came of age, but I never encountered one with an
access code before."
Donovan smirked. "Nicole, authorization code: omega-four-three-niner."
"Code accepted, Donovan," Nicole said. "Loading recorded message now."
"Bunnie, please remind me to remove all authoriztion codes once I come of
age," Sally said, forcing a smile.
"When you come of age, those codes may no longer be needed," Donovan
remarked matter-of-factly.
"Beginning playback now," Nicole said.
"Greetings, Princess," a strange voice said. "I am installing a few
programs on the computer your father had Sir Charles design for you, ones I
think you will need at some point in the future. This file concerns a jewel
known as the Gem of Enchanted Dreams.
"This Gem, once thought to be one of the legendary Chaos Emeralds, is
rumored to appear once every five years in different places. It is said that
whoever can find this jewel will be granted one wish. But be warned; it will
only grant the wish you ask for. If you leave any room open for it to distort
the meaning of your wish, it will do so."
"End of recorded message, Sally," Nicole said.
"What the hoo-ha does that have to do with me, Donovan?" Bunnie asked,
but then just stared.
A tear was visible on Donovan's cheek. He quickly wiped it away. "Let's
just say it is not a rumor," he said quickly. "I have found it, and I can take
you there."
Bunnie looked at him questioingly at first, then, as realization set in,
her mouth dropped open in amazement. "You mean that I could wish these things
away, forever?" she asked, indicating her robotic parts.
"If that is truly what you desire, yes," Donovan answered.
"Wait a minute," Sally interjected. "This seems a little too cut and dry
for me. There has to be a catch."
"Of course there is. The gem will set three challenges before you, and
you must pass them all to get to it."
"Great," Bunnie muttered. "If they're anything like what the Void threw
at us, I'll need all the help I can get!"
"Not so fast," Donovan said, holding up one hand. "Part of the challenge
is that you must do everything to reach it on your own. If anyone helps you,
you lose your chance at a wish."
"Do you honestly think I'm gonna let her go by herself?" Sally demanded.
"Oh, you can go, Princess. But be warned; you may find you are more of a
hindrance than a help," Donovan cautioned.
"How much time do we have?" Bunnie asked.
"Maybe an hour or two. If you are going, meet me on the bridge within the
next ten minutes. Until then," he said, then continued his meditation.
"I don't trust this," Sally said, replacing Nicole on her boot. "There's
got to be more--hey!"
Bunnie grabbed Sally's arm and started dragging her away. "Sally girl, if
there's any way I can be rid of these things, I'm gonna do it, no matter what
it takes!"
At the appointed time, Bunnie and Sally were waiting on the bridge; along
with Sonic, Tails, Sondra, and Dulcy. "This sounds major bogus, Sal," Sonic
said, peering into the forest just beyond the bridge.
"Sonic, we've been through this already," Sally said. "Donovan may not be
on our side, but he has shown he can be trusted."
"Maybe," Tails said, "but he also has shown that he can keep things hidden
if he wants."
"Oh, Miles, I told you about that," Sondra pointed out. "I'm the one who
asked Donovan not to say anything; if you have to find fault, find it with me."
"Look, I don't care what problems y'all have with Donovan," Bunnie said
loudly. "If he can help me get rid of these things, then I don't care why or
how he does it."
"The why is simple," Donovan said, emerging from the forest. "You saved
me from the SWATbots, so I feel indebted. The how will become obvious soon
enough."
He scanned the group, then nodded to himself. "I see Boomer must be
keeping Antony in bed, else they would both be here."
"Whatever," Bunnie said, a little angrily. "Are we going or what?"
"When you are ready."
"Then let's go!" Sonic exclaimed.
"Wait a minute, Sonic," Sally said, standing in front of him. "I thought
we agreed that I was going."
"Nuh-uh. You ain't going without me!"
"A fine sister I'd be to let you go without me," Sondra added.
"I'll make this simple," Donovan said, cutting off Tails before he could
speak. "I only have three teleporter chips. One is for me, the second for
Bonnie, and the third for her companion."
Everyone started arguing amongst themselves, trying to convince Bunnie to
let him or her go. Bunnie tried to call for quiet, but to no avail. Finally,
she slammed her fist down on the rail of the bridge, causing the entire
structure to shake wildly. It also had the effect of shutting everyone up at
once. "Now look," Bunnie said, exasperated, "I've already decided that Sally's
comin' with me. I don't wanna hear no guff about it, understand?"
"Glad that's decided," Donovan muttered, placing a chip on both Sally and
Bunnie. "Are we ready now?"
"Wait a minute," Sonic said. "Fine, if I can't go with you, I want to at
least make sure you get out safely." He handed Sally a whistle he produced
from his backpack. "Here, Dulcy can hear this whistle from anywhere on Mobius
and she'll come in charging. Right, Dulce?"
"You got it, Sonic," Dulcy replied, giving him a thumbs up.
"And I want you to take this," Sondra said, holding out a small crystal.
"When we destroyed the Void, I lost most of my powers, but I'm getting them
back slowly. I made this crystal during my practices; maybe it'll bring you
some luck."
"Can we leave now?" Donovan asked, getting a little impatient.
Both Sally and Bunnie nodded. Donovan took out a remote control and
pushed the button. A white light surrounded all three and they vanished.
"I don't know about the rest of you," Sonic said as they disappeared, but
I'm waiting right here until they get back." He sat down on the bridge and
folded his legs.
"I'm gonna go for a quick flight," Dulcy said, taking off.
"We'll stay here, Sonic," Tails and Sondra said together, sitting down on
either side of Sonic at the same time.
Sonic looked form one to the other. "You two scare me when you do that,"
he said, trying to be serious.
Tails and Sondra exchanged another glance. "Well you know, Sonic..."
Sondra began.
"...I guess we're just thinking..." Tails continued.
"...on the same..."
"...wavelength."
"Knock it off!" Sonic yelled, standing up and running back to Knothole
at full speed.
Tails and Sondra looked at him go, then highfived each other without even
turning their heads.
When the dizziness wore off, Sally and Bunnie found themselves in a large
cavern. "Where are we?" Bunnie asked, staring at the menacing stalactites
that clung to the ceiling a few feet above their heads.
"It looks like one of the underground caves that run under Robotropolis,"
Sally remarked, patting one of the stalagmites that grew up from the ground.
"But yet, it doesn't look like anything I've seen on any map in Nicole's
databases."
Bunnie looked around, suddenly aware that one of their number was missing.
"Hey, where's Donovan?"
Sally shrugged. "I guess we'll see him if we get to the gem. Remember,
if he helps you in any way, you don't get your wish. And the same goes for
me."
"Yeah, yeah, I know." Bunnie looked around, studying the many cave mouths
that led away. "Which way do you think we should go?"
"I have an idea..." Sally began, then clapped her hand over her mouth.
"Remember, I can't help. This is all you."
"Great," Bunnie grumbled. "I guess we'll just have to look for a cave
that stands out from the others."
"Lead the way, Bunnie."
Bunnie walked off, with Sally close behind. Bunnie looked into each cave,
but they all seemed to be duplicates of the one they were in. "This is
hopeless," Bunnie sighed. Then she noticed a weird glow off to her right.
Bunnie indicated the glow to Sally and crept over to the cave. Inside the
cave was a wondrous sight. Even though the cave itself was similar to all the
others, there was no living plant or animal life. Instead, everything that
wasn't stone was metal. Metallic plants, metallic animals; almost as if....
Bunnie turned away from the cave, suddenly shivering uncontrollably.
"Bunnie?" Sally asked, worried. "What's wrong?"
Wordlessly, Bunnie indicated the cave, as well as a peculiar purple glow
that suffused the cave walls every now and again.
Sally saw, and understood. "Everything in that cave is robotic!" she
exclaimed. "But how?"
"It must be similar to the roboticizer," Bunnie said, when she had finally
calmed down enough to talk. "Oh, Sally girl, what if it roboticizes me when I
try to go through it? This has got to be one of my greatest fears!"
"I know, Bunnie; I'd feel the same way if I were you."
Bunnie turned around, and forced herself to study the cave. "It's not
all that long," she observed, "ten...fifteen steps at the most. But I can't
afford to get any more robotic than I already am!"
Bunnie poked her normal hand just into the cave. Immediately, purple
light sprang from the cave and onto her hand. Bunnie snatched her hand back,
but not before the tips of her fingers had been roboticized.
Tears of fright fell from Bunnie's eyes. But they turned to tears of
relief as she saw her fingers return to normal. "Oh my stars; at least it's
not permanent. Um, Sally, do y'all think you could run through the cave first;
just so I could see how fast the cave acts?"
"I don't know, Bunnie," Sally said doubtfully. "Wouldn't that be
considered helping you?"
"I don't think so. I mean, you gotta go through it eventually if you're
gonna come with me; I'm just asking you to go first."
"Sounds good to me," Sally said, revving up her legs. "See you on the
other side!" She took off, leaving a mini-sonic boom behind. The purple light
of the cave surrounded her, but she was through the cave in a second. She
stopped just outside the cave, holding up her hands for Bunnie to see. They
were the only things robotic on her body, but they soon returned to normal.
Bunnie shook her head. "What I wouldn't give for her speed," she thought.
Then, mustering all her courage, she shut her eyes and ran into the cave. She
counted the steps as she felt her body changing. Three steps...five...seven...
nine. Bunnie dove as she counted ten, feeling her head beginning to change
after her body was finished.
She hit the ground hard, sliding forward a few extra feet. "Bunnie!"
Sally yelled, kneeling beside her friend and rolling her on her back.
Bunnie opened her eyes carefully. "Did...did I make it?" she asked, her
voice no more than a whisper.
"Barely," Sally said, helping her stand. "The only thing not robotic is
your face!"
Bunnie stared at her body, not breathing again until it had returned to
its former state. She let out a sigh of relief. "Y'know, I almost thought my
body would return to normal when I got through," she said.
"No such luck, Bunnie," Sally said, smiling.
"Well, that must've been the first challenge," Bunnie said. "C'mon, let's
try and find the second one."
Sally nodded and the two friends set off. After a few minutes of walking
in silence, they came upon a dead end. "Guess we went the wrong way," Sally
said.
Bunnie stared at the rock formation at the end of the tunnel. "Y'know,
if you look at the rocks the right way, it almost looks like a face."
"I think you're right, Bunnie. Could this be your second challenge?"
"Might be," Bunnie agreed, approaching the rocks.
As she got close, the "eyes" of the rock face suddenly snapped open. A
yellow beam shot out, heading straight for Sally. "Move it, Sally girl!"
Bunnie yelled, putting herself between Sally and the beam.
The beam passed right through Bunnie with no visible effect and continued
on to Sally. Sally tried to dodge the beam, but it curved in mid-air. She
screamed as the beam enveloped her, and then she disappeared in a brilliant
flash of light.
"Sally!" Bunnie yelled, running to where Sally had been standing. She
searched for some clue of what had happened to her friend, but no trace of her
remained. "Oh, no," she whispered, dropping to her knees. "Sally...."
The sound of rock grinding against rock drew her attention. She looked
back to where the face had been and saw a rock golem standing in front of a
passage. It leered at her, daring her to get past it.
Bunnie didn't need much provocation. She threw herself at the creature,
only to be slapped into a wall by a stone fist. She lunged again, with similar
results. "I gotta calm down," she thought, wiping a trickle of blood from her
lip. "This thing's gonna have me for lunch otherwise."
Bunnie approached the monster as before, but this time only faked a lunge.
When the creature swiped its arm, she ducked underneath and tried to kick out
one of the legs.
The leg crumbled and the monster went down. "You ain't so tough," Bunnie
said, punching with her normal fist.
The creature laughed at the contact, which only netted Bunnie some bruised
knuckles. She stared at her fist, not sure what to make of it. The golem
grabbed her around her neck and started to squeeze.
Bunnie grabbed its wrist with both hands and tried to pull it off. The
rock crumbled benteath her robotic hand, but was untouched under her normal
one. Bunnie then realized the key. She punched again, using her robotic fist.
The creature's shoulder crumbled into dust, the arm falling off and
cracking against the ground. She continued beating on the monster with her
robotic parts until nothing but dust remained.
Bunnie stood there, breathing heavily. "That was for you, Sally!" she
cried, punching the wall. After a few moments of crying, she took a deep
breath and tried to calm down. "Well, I got this far, so I might as well keep
going," she thought. "I just hope it's worth all this trouble."
Bunnie walked down the passage, thinking about what had just happened.
She really didn't believe Sally was dead. From what she knew about the gem,
which wasn't much, it did not seem to be an evil thing; it was just particular
about how you got your wish. "Donovan said that Sally might be used against me
as a hindrance," she remembered. "That means I'll probably end up seeing her
in the third challenge."
And that brought her thoughts to another thing Donovan had said. "He also
said that I might not want to wish these things away. I'll admit they do come
in handy in a fight. I never really thought of the consequences if I do lose
them. I mean, how will we fight the SWATbots or use heavy equipment."
Just then, she came to a fork in the tunnel. One way was dark, but the
other was filled with light. She peered down that tunnel and saw a greenish
gem sitting on a pedestal off in the distance. "What, no third challenge?"
she called jokingly.
Almost as if in response, she heard a faint voice calling from the other
tunnel. "Bunnie...help me!"
"That sounds like Sally," she thought. All of a sudden, the ground
started to shake. "What the hoo-ha?"
Rocks started falling across the entrance to the tunnels. Bunnie saw her
dilemma. She could either go to the gem and make her wish, or see what was
wrong with her friend. "No contest here," she muttered, racing down the dark
tunnel.
When she reached the end, she saw Sally strapped to the floor, staring up
at the ceiling in horror. Bunnie looked and saw that it was descending at a
fairly rapid rate. "We gotta get you outta here, Sally girl," Bunnie said,
pulling at the ropes that held Sally down.
"No time!" Sally yelled. "You better get outta here!"
"No way am I leaving you." Bunnie looked around and saw a small hole in
the ceiling. "Be right back," she said, walking underneath it. She extended
her legs and saw a switch through a small crack in the wall.
"Hurry, Bunnie!" Sally called.
She reached for the switch, but her robotic arm was too thick to fit
through. She pressed herself against the wall and tried to reach it with her
normal hand. She stretched her arm to its limit, and just managed to trip the
switch. She retracted her legs and ran back to Sally.
Sally was standing up, staring in wonder at the ceiling, which was
retreating. "I don't know what you did, Bunnie," Sally said, rubbing her
wrists, "but I'm glad you did it."
"Me too, Sally," Bunnie agreed, hugging her friend. "C'mon, we'd best be
getting back to Knothole."
"Huh? Don't you still have to make your wish?"
"I gave that up to rescue you," she said, explaining about the choice she
had had to make.
"Oh, Bunnie, I'm sorry," Sally apologized. "If there's any way I can
make it up to you, just let me know, OK?"
*There is no need for that,* a voice said, startling them. Before either
one could react, they found themselves teleported in front of a ten-faced,
green gem that was large enough to be held with both hands. It was flawless,
and seemed to glow with its own light.
*You have passed my three challenges,* the gem said, pulsating with light
as each word was spoken. *To earn your wish, you must now answer my riddle.*
"Riddle?" Bunnie asked disbelievingly. "Donovan didn't say nothin' about
no riddle!"
"That's because you didn't ask," Donovan said, stepping out of the
shadows. "I only offer what information is asked of me."
"Well, let's hear it then," Bunnie said, addressing the gem.
*Listen to me, and listen well, and what I refer to, you must tell:
Often talked of, never seen,
Ever coming, never been,
Daily looked for, never here,
Still approaching, coming near,
Thousands for its visit wait
But alas for their fate,
Tho' they expect me to appear,
They will never find me here.*
Bunnie stood dumbfounded by the riddle. She glanced at Sally and Donovan,
and saw them equally mystified. "That's a good sign," she thought
sarcastically.
She concentrated on the riddle. "What could everyone be talking about
and waiting for, but never gets here?" she asked herself. "I don't have a
clue! Something that comes close, but never actually arrives?"
She thought about it a few more moments. "What do I look forward to,
but never see? Well, I look forward to a lot of things. But one day in the
future, I hope to see them."
The answer hit her like a bolt of lightning. "The answer is 'tomorrow',"
Bunnie said confidently. "By definition, tomorrow is always the next day, so
tomorrow never actually gets here. And everyone waits for tomorrow, waiting
for it to become today!"
A thunderclap sounded, shaking the ground they stood upon. *Correct. Now
you can make your wish.*
Bunnie picked up the stone and held it between her two hands. "It was
hard gettin' here," she said, holding the stone close to her chest, "and now
I don't know if I really want what I came here for."
"What do you mean, Bunnie?" Sally asked.
Bunnie smiled sadly. "The challenges I went through showed me that I
really need these parts, no matter how much I don't like 'em. I've had 'em so
long, they've become a part of me. Without 'em, I'd never have even gotten
here. Besides, what chance would we have against the SWAT-butts without 'em?"
"So what are you going to wish for, then?"
"Right now, there's only one thing that I want with all my heart: to live
a full and happy life with Antoine. So that's my wish."
Bunnie closed her eyes, expecting some sign that her wish was granted,
but nothing happened. "Another thing I forgot to mention," Donovan said as
she opened her eyes. "The gem will not grant a wish that will come true of
its own accord."
Bunnie blushed slightly. "Oh my stars," she whispered. "Then I really
don't know what to wish for."
"Well you better wish for something," Donovan said, checking his watch,
"you don't have much time."
Bunnie thought back to the third challenge. "Y'know, when I saved Sally,
I had to use both my robotic and my normal parts. Too bad I can't wish to be
able to change these parts back and forth between robotic and normal whenever
I wanted with no type of side effects."
Another thunderclap sounded. *Wish granted,* the gem said, lifting from
her hands and returning to the pedestal.
Bunnie stared at the gem. "But wait...I didn't mean...?"
"Finally!" Donovan exclaimed. "We struck gray matter!"
Bunnie struggled to recall exactly what she had said. "You mean I could
be normal when I want, and like this other times?"
Donovan nodded. "I was hoping you'd hit upon it. Now, you two ladies
might want to stand over here," he said, walking to circle he had drawn in
the dirt.
"Why would we..." Sally began, then was cut off as a tremor struck the
cave. "Another thing you didn't mention?" she demanded.
Donovan just shrugged. Sally and Bunnie hurried over to the circle, just
as the cave ceiling started to collapse. Stalactites crashed all around them,
but none actually entered the circle. Then the ground buckled, and all could
feel a tremendous pressure build underneath them. The ground they were
standing on shot up, through a hole in the ceiling, propelled by a geyser of
steam.
Bunnie and Sally looked around in fear and terror as the rock they stood
on climbed higher and higher in the sky. But Donovan seemed unperturbed. "I
suggest you use your whistle," he said, looking over the edge as the forest
receded beneath them.
Sally pulled the whistle from her pocket and blew it forcefully. The
whistle pierced the chill air and was immediately followed by the sound of
beating wings. "But what about you, Donovan?" Bunnie asked, as their rate of
ascent turned into a rate of descent.
"I'll be fine," he said, unworried.
Dulcy swooped down before anything else could be said and grabbed Sally
and Bunnie off the rock. Donovan waved goodbye and jumped off the edge. "Is
he crazy?" Dulcy asked.
"I don't think so, Dulcy," Sally said thoughtfully as she and Bunnie
climbed onto Dulcy's back. "I think his confidence has something to do with
the wish he made."
"The one he made?" Bunnie asked.
"Remember, he said he had found it before. That means he must have made a
wish."
"Maybe," Dulcy said. "So, did you get your wish, Bunnie?"
"Not what I originally intended, Dulcy, but something even better," Bunnie
answered. "You'll see when we get back to Knothole."
"In the meantime, could you fly next to me, Sally?" Dulcy asked. "It's a
long way back to Knothole, and I'll need all my strength to get there. I've
been flying around since you left."
"Sure, Dulcy," Sally said, jumping off and flying next to her.
When they did get back to Knothole, everyone was waiting for them at the
bridge. "We heard the whistle," Sonic said as they landed safely on the
bridge.
Bunnie slid off Dulcy. "You'll see soon enough, sugarhog," Bunnie said,
exchanging a secret smile with Sally. "But first I wanna show sugarfox."
"Show me what?" Antoine asked, walking slowly toward the group.
"Antoine, I thought Tanis told you to stay in bed!" Bunnie scolded.
Antoine shrugged. Behind him, Rotor was hopping after him, tied to a
chair. "Sorry, Bunnie. I kept him down as long as I could."
"It's OK, Rotor," Bunnie said, smiling. "I'll get him back in bed
myself." She walked to him and reached for him with her robotic arm.
Antoine flinched momentarily. Bunnie looked hurt for a second, but then
nodded. "Oops, I forgot." She closed her eyes and concentrated, willing her
parts to return to normal. She felt something happening to her arm and legs,
but she couldn't tell what. When the feeling ended, she opened her eyes and
saw Antoine staring open-mouthed at her.
She looked down at her body. Everything was back to normal. "Yes!"
she exclaimed, pumping her fist in the air. "The Bunnie body is back! And
this time, to stay!"
"But what happens to us now?" someone asked from the crowd. "You were
our best fighter!"
"I still am," Bunnie answered, returning her legs to robotic for a second.
She found that it was easier this time, and would probably get to the point
where it would require only a thought to change. "Just now, I don't have to
stay like that all the time."
She turned to Antoine and picked him up in her arms. "Now you are going
back to bed," she said carrying him off to her hut. "And I'm making sure you
stay there; one way or another."
Everyone just watched them go, a mixture of surprise and happiness on
their faces. "Man, I bet you have one wild tale to tell, huh Sal?" Sonic
asked, shaking his head as the crowd dispersed.
"Sonic, you don't know the half of it," Sally said, smiling.
As everyone headed back to Knothole proper, no one noticed a lone
figure slinking off toward Robotropolis. No one, that is, except a certain
grey squirrel watching from the trees.
(
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